The entourage effect
This effect, otherwise known as the "dawn" effect, was first mentioned in a 1998 paper in the European Journal of Pharmacology, "An entourage effect: inactive endogenous fatty acid glycerol esters enhance 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol cannabinoid activity", which described the potentiation of cannabinoid effects in the presence of fatty acid esters.
It is a mechanism in which the individual compounds (cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids) have a more powerful combined effect and often acquire additional properties through synergy. It is currently under intensive scientific investigation. However, due to the complex nature of the endocannabinoid system and the numerous substances contained in Cannabis sativa, this effect has not been entirely explained yet.
The entourage effect may depend on multiple mechanisms occurring simultaneously:
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direct interaction with cannabinoid receptors - one example is beta-caryophyllene which is a selective CB2 receptor agonist
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influence on receptor functions, e.g. facilitating binding of cannabinoids to receptors
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similar effects to cannabinoids:
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CBD has a positive effect in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease due to its effect on the receptors for acetylcholine, and terpenes have the same results such as beta-caryophyllene, linalool, alpha-pinene or beta-myrcene.
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linalool, found in cannabis, which, like cannabinoids, binds to serotonergic receptors and inhibits nausea and emesis
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limonene, which affects the conduction in the central nervous system, influences mood, reduces feelings of anxiety and depression, and thus overlaps with the cannabinoids and, when combined with them, is more effective.
There are countless possible interactions, and the final effect depends not only on the concentration of individual cannabinoids but also on the presence of other compounds, especially terpenes, whose qualities go far beyond great taste and smell.
Bibliografia:
Nahler, Gerhard. (2019). Cannabidiol and Contributions of Major Hemp Phytocompounds to the “Entourage Effect”; Possible Mechanisms. Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine. 5. 1-16. 10.24966/ACIM-7562/100066.
Russo, Ethan B. “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects.” British journal of pharmacology vol. 163,7 (2011): 1344-64. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x