Within the cannabis plant there are hundreds of different plant-based compounds. Some of these are cannabinoids such as THC and CBD while others are things such as terpenoids. In a recent study released in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoids Research coming out of Israel, terpenoids were shown to offer medicinal benefits. In particular, they provide anti-inflammatory properties. This study consisted of researchers extracting cannabis oils that are rich in terpenoids from three different strains of cannabis.
The Study Details
The oils were then tested upon cells within lab mice. Their first experiment showed that terpenoids present in the cannabis plant could help to suppress the production of aspects associated with inflammation. Another experiment revealed that the terpenoids in this oil that was extracted and tested could produce “moderate anti-inflammatory activities.” Other studies have proven the anti-inflammatory aspect of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD.
While terpenoids were shown to produce anti-inflammatory aspects they were not as effective as what isolated and purified CBD was in the previous testing. This could be simply because of how terpenoids and cannabinoids act within the body to mitigate inflammation. According to the researchers who conducted the study,
“Different chemotypes of cannabis have a unique composition of terpenoids. These essential oils do have anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities that vary according to their composition, but they had no effect on antibodies. We suggest that terpenoids may be used to diminutive acute inflammation effect, whereas the cannabinoids to inhibit chronic inflammation symptoms.”
Why Full Plant Therapies are Best
This a prime example where full plant therapies can be more beneficial to medical patients and consumers. When you utilize the full plant, you receive not just terpenoids, or just cannabinoids but both. It is widely proven that the multiple compounds within the plant work much more effectively together than when individually isolated through what is known as the Entourage Effect.