CBD seems to have surpassed THC in popularity in the US. For years THC was the most popular and widely researched cannabinoid in cannabis science. Today, however, CBD is gaining momentum to surpass THC due to it's many many therapeutic applications; especially in children with intractable epilepsy such as Dravet Syndrome. If you have never watched any of the hundreds of videos on the internet from parents of these sweet children and the difference that cannabis has made in their lives then you absolutely should do that now. Story after amazing story of these babies getting a second chance at life when nothing else has even come close to controlling their hundreds of seizures a day.
With all this information swirling around at a dizzying pace, it's understandable that many people view CBD and THC as being in competition with each other, however this is far from the truth.
If you do a google search on the therapeutic benefits of CBD and THC, you will find hundreds of articles talking about the Entourage Effect , but what does that mean exactly? Why whole plant medicine is many times more therapeutically beneficial than THC and CBD only extractions. In this article we will be talking about not only THC and CBD, but many of the other compounds that make up the cannabis & hemp plants as well as the therapeutic indications of these lesser known compounds.

• CBD : Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained popularity in leaps and bounds in the last several years, and is increasing in popularity every day. It is the 1st most abundant cannabinoid in hemp & 2nd most abundant cannabinoid in cannabis behind THC. One big and beneficial benefit of CBD when compared to THC is that CBD does not bind with the receptors in your brain, therefore is non-psychoactive and will not produce a "high", but still carries a wide array of health benefits. The non-psycho-activity of CBD makes it a preferred medicine for those who do not want the "high" feeling. Research has taken a hard turn from studying only THC to researching CBD for it's therapeutic applications including:
  
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-Anxiety
• Analgesic (Pain Relief)
• Anti-epileptic
• Antidepressant
• Anti-Cancer
• Neuroprotectant
• Antioxidant
• THC : Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been the most famous cannabinoid for many years, is the 1st most abundant cannabinoid in cannabis, and a favorite to people in recreational (or adult use) states that enjoy the psychoactivity or the "high". It needs to be said, and the reason I keep putting quotations around "high" is that it carrys none of the side effects or dangers of the multitude of drugs available, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical. THC has been the most widely researched cannabinoid for many many years. This research has concluded that THC is beneficial in the treatment of:
• Parkinson's
• Alzheimer's
• Neuropathic Pain
• Cancer
• Crohn's
• PTSD
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• It's true that THC and CBD are the 2 most common cannabinoids that are in the cannabis and hemp plants, but there are a variety of other beneficial compounds in these amazing plants as well. In this article we are talking about the most common cannabinoids in the plant. (See my article on terpenes here) All of these compounds working together is what is known as the Entourage Effect. Let's take a look at some of the lesser known cannabinoids and their benefits.
  CBC : Cannabichromene (CBC) is the third most common cannabinoid in cannabis. The research into CBC has found that it is to be an anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, anti-fungal, anti-cancer agent, and may even promote the growth of new brain cells. Like CBD, CBC is non psychoactive (will not get you high).
• THCa : Tetrahydrocannabinolic (THCa) is a precursor to Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THCa slowly converts to THC as the plant dries. Heating (decarboxylation) THCa speeds up this process.
• CBN : Cannabinol (CBN) Is created when THCa (a precursor to THC) breaks down over time. CBN has been found to be an appetite stimulant, antibiotic, analgesic, antiasthsmatic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-insomnia.
  
• CBDv : Cannabidivarin (CBDv) is a slightly degraded form of CBD. Research into CBDv is in it's infancy, but is showing alot of promise as an anti-epileptic, anti-emetic (relief of nausea), and has been shown to have bone stimulating properties.
• THCv : Tetrahydrocannabidivarin (THCv) is most often used along side of THC for maximum efficacy. Some studies show that, like CBD, THCv can actually mitigate the psychoactive effects of THC. It has been shown to be an anti-epileptic, neuroprotectant, and bone stimulant.
• CBG : Cannabigerol (CBG) is gaining more and more attention in research. It has a significant amount of therapeutic benefits and is fairly abundant in hemp. CBG has been found to be an analgesic (pain relieving), antidepressant, & anti cancer agent. CBG is also known to mitigate the effects of THC which can be uncomfortable for some people.
  
• CBGa : Cannabigerolic Acid is very important because it is a precursor to many of the cannabinoids mentioned above, and without it's presence cannabis would not hold near the medicinal benefits that it has.

Hopefully this clears up (at least a little) why whole plant matters & why the Entourage Effect is important to our bodies. All of the compounds (cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavinoids) in the plant work together to help your body to what it was designed to do. It's the Robin to your body's Batman!