Fact Checked by Doctor NameWhole plant medicine refers to using all the natural components of the cannabis plant for therapeutic benefits.
This contrasts isolated extracts or single compounds. Consuming whole-plant cannabis provides optimal wellness advantages compared to isolates.
Cannabis contains hundreds of active compounds, including THC, CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, and lesser-known cannabinoids.
Each contributes properties potentially beneficial for health and well-being. Whole plant medicine utilizes the synergistic effects of these compounds together, not just THC and CBD alone.
What is Whole Plant Medicine?
Table of Contents
Whole plant medicine is cannabis consumed in its most natural form.
This includes:
- Whole dried flower – Using the complete dried bud, which contains a full spectrum of cannabis compounds.
- Full-spectrum extracts – Extracts obtained through processes that maintain a diversity of cannabinoids and terpenes from the original plant.
- Raw juice or leaf – Consuming freshly harvested cannabis leaves or cold-pressing for juices containing a range of active compounds.
- Minimally processed products – Oils, edibles, or other products manufactured to preserve as many of the plant’s beneficial components as possible.
Whole plant medicine aims to leverage the entourage effect, where numerous compounds work synergistically to enhance therapeutic benefits compared to isolated ingredients.
Benefits of Whole Plant Medicine
Research shows whole plant cannabis medicine offers distinct advantages:
- The entourage effect – Active compounds work together to provide more robust effects than isolated THC, CBD, etc.
- Broad therapeutic impact – The diversity of cannabis compounds benefits various symptoms and conditions.
- Balanced effects – A full spectrum of cannabinoids contributes to more balanced, less impaired effects.
- Lower doses – Greater potency allows lower doses to provide equal benefits.
- Natural benefits – Plant compounds exist in natural proportions, evolutionarily optimized for efficacy.
Whole plant medicine promotes optimal health by delivering a bouquet of beneficial cannabis compounds in their natural ratios.
Difference Between Whole Plant and Full-Spectrum Cannabis
Whole plant medicine is derived from the raw natural plant with minimal processing.
Full-spectrum cannabis undergoes extraction and usually contains a subset of the plant’s compounds, though still a diverse blend.
Key differences:
- The whole plant contains all-natural plant materials like fiber, proteins etc. Full-spectrum maintains only desired compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes.
- The whole plant is unprocessed, while full-spectrum undergoes extraction and filtration but seeks to preserve key compounds.
- Whole plants can be consumed directly, and full-spectrum is consumed in concentrated extracts.
- The whole plant contains some synergistic compounds that may be lost in processing full-spectrum extracts.
Both whole plant and full-spectrum cannabis offer advantages over isolates.
Whole plant medicine provides the most comprehensive therapeutic benefits from cannabis in its purely natural form.
