Back in February of this year a excellent Israeli study was done documenting the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant CBD-rich Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic, single-molecule cannabidiol (CBD) which is made in the lab. The notion that botanical extracts are "low grade and crude" as opposed to pure single molecule synthetic compounds made by the pharmaceutical companies is what was challenged. The study was Published in the journal Pharmacology & Pharmacy (Feb. 2015).
The study showed that administration of pure, single-molecule CBD resulted in a bell-shaped dose-response curve, that means when the amount of CBD exceeded a certain point its therapeutic impact declined dramatically. “Healing was only observed when CBD was given within a very limited dose range, whereas no beneficial effect was achieved at either lower or higher doses,” the authors observed. This characteristic of single-molecule CBD—manifested as a bell-shaped dose response—imposes serious obstacles that limit its usefulness in a clinical context.
The Israeli team sought to determine whether the administration of a whole plant CBD-rich extract would also generate a bell-shaped dose-response curve when administered to mice. Or would cannabidiol extracted from CBD-rich Cannabis avoid this liability? But a different dose response pattern was observed when the whole plant extract was administered to mice. Rather than showing a bell-shaped curve, where a therapeutic effect could only be achieved at a certain concentration of pure CBD, the whole plant CBD-rich extract caused a direct, dose-dependent inhibition of pain, inflammation, and TNFa production.
Moreover, the Israeli researchers found that a small amount of CBD in the whole plant extract was needed for significant pain relief compared to the much larger amount of pure single molecule CBD required to achieve the same analgesic effect. And whereas pure, single-molecule CBD precipitated a dramatic drop in efficacy if more than a specific dosage was administered, an “overdose” of whole plant CBD-rich extract did not undermine its therapeutic potency.
The body recognizes and can utilize substances that are natural, from nature. That is how we are made. Anything that is synthetic is hard for the body to know what to do with it, yes, it can have an effect but in my opinion not as great an effect. The whole plant has not only cannabinoids, but terpenes and flavinoids and many other compounds which all work together synergistically and have positive effects in the body.
We here at Pianta Tinta are proud of our High CBD tincture in that we use the whole plant to extract out as much cannabinoids and other compounds to make the best medicine we can!
The above is just a small portion of the study done, if you wish to read the actual study click here.
A thank you to projectcbd.org for originally posting the article!
Elizabeth Knight, Pianta Tinta