CBD Product More Effective For Relaxation With Terpenes, EEG Scans Show

Many experienced cannabis consumers generally agree that the “Entourage Effect”—the power of terpenes coupled with cannabinoids—produces a much stronger effect. But how do you demonstrate that in quantifiable terms?

One such company set out to gather data to back up the idea. Kinloch Wellness, makers of plant-based health and wellness products, announced the results of a landmark observational study conducted in partnership with Zentrela, a neurotechnology pioneer that utilizes AI to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) data in pursuit of an enormous database of cannabis’s effects.

What they found was that a CBD product infused with terpenes was several times more effective than a CBD-only product.

A cross-over examination was conducted in Zentrela’s lab with 15 participants. They compared a specific product infused with both CBD and several terpenes, versus a leading CBD-only product as a comparator. Participants consumed one unit with 50mg CBD of each product, and participants underwent EEG tests.

This technology has been refined for over 50 years: Previous EEG-related studies have shown that EEG has the potential to capture EEG feature changes caused by cannabinoids. And the novelty of this research, the team says, not only relies on the use of EEG technology but how the EEG analysis was conducted.

“We kept hearing from consumers that CBD products with terpenes were the only ones that worked from them. We wanted to quantify that,” Dwayne Stewart, CEO of Kinlock Wellness, says in a phone interview. “So we worked with Zentrela out of Toronto, which uses EEGs attached to the head of a subject,” Stewart continues. “It allows them to measure—and they’ve done this thousands of times across different types of products—and they’ve got an AI-based algorithm that allows them to understand what’s going on.”

He explained that this then allows the team to actually measure the impact of products and allows scientists to show what's happening in their brain in a measurable way, going beyond simply subjective responses that makeup what we understand anecdotablly as the “Entourage Effect.” The main objective of this study was to objectively measure the efficacy of Kinloch's Serene™ CBD Green Apple Gummy Drop to increase the relaxation state of consumers. Kinloch’s Serene products are broad-spectrum, THC-free drops, Stewart says.

Data-Driven Products Go Beyond Anecdotal Evidence

So what did Zentrela’s lab find? The product that was enhanced with both CBD and terpenes was several times more effective than controls with CBD only. The study revealed three key findings:

• For female study participants—The Kinloch Serene™ CBD Green Apple Gummy Drop, containing CBD and terpenes, was five times more effective at relaxing the group than the CBD-only comparator product.
• On average, for all participants, The Kinloch Serene™ CBD Green Apple Gummy Drop was three times more effective at relaxing the study group than the comparator CBD-only product.
• Results from this study demonstrate that two products can contain identical amounts of the same cannabinoids and yet create very different effects (Kinloch Serene™ CBD Green Apple Gummy Drop vs. the comparator).

Going beyond the single product, it shows why more emphasis on terpenes is needed. "This research highlights the potential role of terpenes and its effects alongside cannabinoids such as CBD. Although more robust trials are needed, these findings serve to educate consumers by providing guidance in the potential effects of cannabis products," Rahim Dhalla, Pharmacist and Founder of Hybrid Pharm said in the announcement. "This research further empowers the consumer and helps facilitate informed decision-making. This is an essential stepping stone to understanding the complexities of cannabinoid science."

Serene CBD Gummy Drops are infused with β-Caryophyllene and three other terps: linalool, β-Pinene, and α-Phellandrene. Terpenes are directly involved with active cannabinoids. β-Caryophyllene, for instance, binds to the CB2 receptor, acting as a full agonist. But where does Kinloch Wellness source its terpenes? “They are from cannabis sourced terpenes as well as single-source terpenes,” Stewart says. “From natural sources. All of our terpenes are naturally based and they come from plant material.”

The findings show that there is a measurable way to demonstrate if a product is effective for relaxation, specifically.

“If we’re targeting a product for a certain effect—why not bring other parts of the plant that have a positive effect,” Stewart says. “And that's what we've done with the product profiles. And they way we showcase that is through data-driven businesses like ourselves.”