01The difference, in one sentence

Full Spectrum retains all the natural compounds of hemp: cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and trace amounts of THC compliant with the law (less than 1% in Switzerland, less than 0.3% in the European Union). Broad Spectrum keeps everything else, but specifically removes THC during an additional refining step.

At usual doses of a few drops, both profiles remain non-psychoactive for the vast majority of people. But the nuance matters: beyond a few drops, with a full dropper for example, or in people particularly sensitive to THC, the traces contained in a Full Spectrum can become perceptible. This is not a frank high, but a sensation that some users recognize well. It all depends on the dose taken and your own sensitivity, two points that we detail further in the article.

02What actually happens in your body

CBD and THC do not act on the endocannabinoid system in the same way. THC is a partial agonist of CB1 receptors (predominantly found in the central nervous system) and CB2 receptors (mainly found in the immune system). It is this direct binding that explains both its psychoactive effect at high doses and its documented role in pain modulation.

CBD, on the other hand, binds very weakly to these same receptors. Its action occurs through other pathways: serotonin receptors (5-HT1A), TRPV1 ion channels, and an indirect modulation of the endocannabinoid system itself by slowing down the degradation of anandamide, a cannabinoid naturally produced by the body. It is this difference in mechanism that makes the comparison between Full Spectrum and Broad Spectrum more complex than a simple dosage choice.

03The entourage effect: what science really says

The hypothesis of the entourage effect was formalized in 2011 by neurologist Ethan Russo in a reference publication in the British Journal of Pharmacology. The idea: terpenes and minor cannabinoids in the plant would interact with THC and CBD to modulate their effects, and potentially mitigate some of the undesirable effects of THC.

This is a mechanistically plausible hypothesis, but we must be honest about its current status. Two recent systematic reviews, one published in 2023 in Biomedicines and the other in 2024 in Pharmaceuticals according to the PRISMA methodology, reach the same conclusion: preclinical data (in vitro and in animal models) show real interactions between terpenes and cannabinoids, but these results do not reliably translate to human clinical trials. The authors speak of a significant translation gap between the laboratory and the clinic, and emphasize that clinical data on minor cannabinoids and terpenes remain, to date, very limited.

In short: the entourage effect is neither a myth nor an established clinical certainty. It is a serious and probably real research avenue to a certain degree, but still insufficiently quantified today to claim, as is often read, that a Full Spectrum will systematically be more effective than a Broad Spectrum. The Broad Spectrum also retains the overwhelming majority of compounds involved in this potential synergy: minor cannabinoids (CBG, CBC, CBN depending on the extracts), terpenes, flavonoids. It only lacks THC.

04The bell-shaped curve of pure CBD

Here is a less known, but more solid scientific argument than the entourage effect to justify not turning to a high-dose pure isolate. A 2015 study conducted by a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem compared, in mice, the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of purified CBD to that of a hemp extract rich in CBD but poor in THC.

Result: purified CBD shows a bell-shaped dose-response curve. Beyond a certain threshold, increasing the dose no longer improves the effect, and may even reduce it. The plant extract, on the other hand, shows a linear and predictable dose-response relationship: the higher the dose, the greater the effect, without this paradoxical plateau.

05THC and pain: what clinical trials show

This is the most misunderstood point of the Full Spectrum versus Broad Spectrum debate. THC has a documented and clinically proven role in the management of certain types of pain, particularly neuropathic pain and spasticity related to multiple sclerosis. But almost all of this evidence comes from a specific drug: nabiximols, marketed as Sativex, an oromucosal spray with a THC:CBD ratio close to 1:1.

A meta-analysis of randomized double-blind trials showed a moderate but statistically significant reduction in chronic neuropathic pain with nabiximols compared to placebo. For spasticity related to multiple sclerosis, a more recent meta-analysis reports that a significantly higher proportion of patients using THC:CBD spray achieved clinically significant improvement compared to placebo, with secondary benefits on pain intensity as well.

What we can say with more caution is that the even minute presence of THC in a Full Spectrum, combined with terpenes and minor cannabinoids, could provide a marginal benefit for certain types of pain compared to a strictly THC-free Broad Spectrum, consistent with the mechanism of action of THC on CB1 receptors. But no solid clinical trial has, to date, specifically tested this dose level. This is a plausible extrapolation from pharmacology, not direct clinical evidence on products sold in Switzerland.

06Broad Spectrum: advantages and limitations

Broad Spectrum allows you to increase your CBD dose without simultaneously increasing THC intake, making it the most consistent choice in several situations: a professional or personal context where you want to exclude all THC, a period of cannabis withdrawal where you are specifically looking to reduce its intake, or high-dose use where the safety margin becomes more relevant, especially in light of the bell-shaped curve mentioned above.

Its limitation: the additional refining step required to remove THC can, depending on the processes, slightly reduce the richness in terpenes and minor cannabinoids compared to a raw Full Spectrum. A good Broad Spectrum remains however very rich in active compounds: it is a reasonable compromise, not a drastic impoverishment.

07Full Spectrum: advantages and limitations

Full Spectrum is the most complete profile of the plant, as it has undergone only one purification step. It is a relevant choice for occasional use or at moderate doses, and it is the one that benefits most, in theory, from the entourage mechanism described above, even if its actual extent remains to be quantified in humans.

Its limit appears when the dose increases, and this is a point on which we prefer to be direct rather than reassuring on principle: the more Full Spectrum oil you consume, the more the absolute quantity of THC ingested climbs, even if the percentage remains compliant with the law. With a few drops, the effect remains imperceptible for almost all users. But with a full dropper, or if you are sensitive to THC, it is not to be excluded: some users report a very real sensation, especially when increasing doses too quickly. If this is your case, it is better to increase gradually, dose by dose, rather than going straight to a full dropper, or opt for a Broad Spectrum from the start.

08When to choose one over the other

09What about CBD isolate?

There is a third category, less common in our range: isolate, pure CBD at over 99%, without any other cannabinoids or terpenes. This is the option furthest from the original plant. In light of the bell-shaped curve study mentioned above, it is also the one with the greatest risk of seeing its effect plateau or even decrease at high doses. It remains relevant for absolute control of the composition, with no trace of anything other than CBD, but rarely for a search for maximum effectiveness.

10The Swiss legal framework and its practical limits

In Switzerland, a CBD product is legal as long as its THC content remains below 1%, a threshold significantly more permissive than that of the European Union (0.3%) but which is in no way comparable to the doses used in supervised therapeutic use such as Sativex. This wider margin partly explains why the Swiss market offers good aromatic and gustatory Full Spectrum products: the regulatory leeway is a little more comfortable than elsewhere in Europe.

However, it does not change the reasoning on pain developed above: even at 1%, the absolute amount of THC in an oil remains very low compared to a usual dose of a few drops.

11Frequently asked questions

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