How much more effective would you say whole-plant medicine is than CBD-only?
Peters: “Radically. Not even close. It’s as though you’re working with different substances.”
Solomon: “I think that any whole plant medicine is more effective then any CBD-only product.”
Theisen: “Whole plant medicine is the only way to go.”
Mathre: “Safer and more effective, and tolerance will develop more slowly (if at all).”
Finley: “In almost all cases…I would say whole-plant therapeutics are 100% more effective than CBD-only.”
CBD-rich flowers
For many years, the primary goal of cannabis breeders and growers was to increase the THC levels in cannabis strains to meet market demand. In recent years, as the benefits of CBD have become realised, a demand for CBD-rich strains of cannabis has emerged.
In the context of hemp buds, CBD richness is referring to the CBD content of a cannabis strain. A ‘CBD-rich’ strain has been specially bred to contain a high-CBD content but low-THC content, allowing it to be sold legally across America.
Strains each have their own unique cannabinoid profile, determined by what cannabinoids they contain and in what quantities. At this stage, 113 different cannabinoids have been isolated from the cannabis plant. CBD and THC are the predominant two, followed by CBDa, THCa, THCv, CBC, CBCa, CBG and CBGa among many others.