While the cannabis plant is best known for its popular extracts of CBD and THC, it actually has a lot more to offer. Full-spectrum extract (FSE) aims to take advantage of the entire range of therapeutic compounds that the cannabis plant has to offer, as opposed to just isolating a narrow few of them.
The additional compounds found in FSE include:
- Terpenes
- Flavonoids
- Phenols
- Proteins
This extract also includes a wider range of cannabinoids of interest in the medical community, including:
- Tetrahydrocannabivarin,
- Cannabigerol
- Cannabichromene
The Benefits of Full-Spectrum Extracts
From its inclusion of a larger number of compounds, FSE can offer unique benefits and qualities that other types of extract cannot. One of these, most notably, includes making consumption more palatable, both in terms of smell and flavor.
Another one comes from the wider range of cannabinoids that allows for greater applicability in the medical field.
A final one is the therapeutic action of cannabinoids being more potent in FSE, due to the Entourage Effect.
The Entourage Effect
The Entourage Effect is the theory that having more of the original cannabis compounds in an extract allows for each of them to have an even greater therapeutic effect.
In other words, not only are you experiencing the effects of more compounds overall but each of those effects is made stronger by the Entourage Effect than if you took the compounds on their own.
Thanks to this effect, lower doses of CBD with a broader spectrum have the same effect as higher doses with a narrower spectrum.
How is Full-Spectrum Extract Made?
Producing FSE requires perfecting the balance between keeping the full range of compounds while separating the ineffectual materials.
One of the most common methods for this is low-temperature extraction using organic solvents, usually ethanol or butane.
Another popular method is using supercritical fluid extraction, commonly using CO2 with co-solvents like methane or ethane to get the perfect separation.
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