What if we didn't view cannabis as a collection of individual substances, but as a complete plant? And what happens when you keep that plant as intact as possible and choose a different method of administration?

These are questions that have preoccupied Peter Vermeul for years. As the founder and owner of CBD Spain, he immerses himself not only in the cannabis plant itself, but especially in what is preserved during the production process. His starting point is simple, yet far-reaching: perhaps the value of a plant extract is determined not only by how much CBD or THC it contains, but precisely by the whole of the substances and their natural relationship to one another.

In his latest article, Peter describes his personal quest to understand the effects of full-plant extracts in the form of suppositories. A quest that did not begin with theoretical laboratory research, but with people. People with pain, sleep problems, nausea, anxiety, or a severely diminished quality of life.

And it was precisely there that the question arose for him: are we actually looking at the whole plant?

A plant is more than one cannabinoid

Cannabis is often reduced to well-known names like CBD and THC. But anyone who truly looks at the plant sees a much more complex whole.

In addition to cannabinoids, cannabis contains, among other things, cannabinoid acids such as CBDa, CBGa and THCa, but also terpenes, flavonoids, cannabflavins, plant sterols, and other bioactive components. Moreover, every cannabis variety and every carefully selected mother plant has its own chemical composition.

According to Peter, that is exactly what the term Full spectrum means.

In his view, a full-plant extract is not simply a CBD isolate to which a few terpenes have been added afterwards. The plant develops a unique composition itself during its growth. The goal of a good extraction method should therefore not be to reconstruct that composition, but to transfer it from the plant to the extract as completely, purely, and stably as possible.

That requires a different way of looking at things.

Not only: what percentage of CBD is in it?

But also: what else is in it, and what was lost during the production process?

Why CBDa plays such an important role

One of the striking aspects in Peter's vision is the preservation of the natural cannabinoid acids.

When heated, cannabinoid acids can change. For example, THCa is converted into THC and CBDa into CBD. We call this process decarboxylation.

For certain applications, that may be desirable. But Peter asks whether it makes sense to automatically remove the acidic forms of cannabinoids when we are still far from understanding everything about their own significance within the plant.

Furthermore, in his view, it is not just about the conversion of one substance.

When a full-plant extract is exposed to heat, other delicate components can also change. Volatile terpenes can be lost, the proportions between components can shift, and sensitive plant substances can oxidize or break down.

This is why a different principle is central to his working method:

preserve the plant first, and then look at the application.

This aligns closely with the philosophy behind the organic Full spectrum CBDa oils from CBD Spain, which we work with at CBD & Herb and for which we are a distributor in Europe.

Not only what you extract from the plant, but what you manage to preserve

The extraction method plays an important role in this.

Peter describes a process in which controlled conditions are used, working with low temperatures, limited exposure to oxygen and light, cold filtration, and mild evaporation under vacuum. Forced decarboxylation is avoided.

The goal is to preserve as much of the original plant profile as possible, while removing unwanted fractions such as chlorophyll and waxes.

The result should therefore not be a collection of individual ingredients, but an extract in which as much of the plant's original complexity as possible remains.

And that is precisely where, according to Peter, lies an important difference between various products that are now all offered under the name Full spectrum. That term does not tell you exactly how a product was made or which substances have actually been preserved.

Full spectrum is not just a percentage on a label. It is about the complete profile.

But why a suppository?

So far, this has mainly been about the plant and the extract. But Peter also investigated another question: does the way you administer an extract make a difference?

With oral intake, a product passes through the gastrointestinal tract and a significant portion of the absorbed substances first reaches the liver. With rectal administration, a portion of the absorption, depending on factors such as the site of absorption, the formulation, and individual anatomy, can partially take place outside this initial liver passage.

This does not mean, however, that a suppository is automatically fully absorbed or that the liver is completely bypassed. The composition of the suppository, the base in which the extract is incorporated, and the site of absorption all play a role.

That is precisely why Peter finds it interesting to investigate this form of administration further.

Because a suppository with an isolate is different from a suppository in which a plant extract that has been preserved as completely as possible is incorporated.

The carrier changes, but the quality and composition of the extract remain essential.

When oral intake becomes difficult

In practice, Peter encountered people who wanted to use concentrated amounts of extract but found oral application difficult.

Taste can be a problem. Nausea, swallowing difficulties, or an unwanted psychoactive peak can also play a role with products that contain relatively high levels of THC.

Among some people who used a THCa-dominant full-plant extract rectally, Peter actually heard back that they experienced this method of application differently than a highly decarboxylated THC product taken orally.

They described, among other things, the absence of taste problems and hardly any experienced psychoactive effects.

These are personal experiences and not proof that every user will experience the same thing. But precisely such experiences can provide a reason to investigate a topic further and in a controlled manner.

A striking case involving prostate cancer

One of the most impressive experiences Peter describes concerns a man in whom prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9 was diagnosed in September 2023.

According to the information Peter received, his PSA rose to approximately 84.5 ng/ml in December 2023. The man used a THCa-dominant suppository at night and a CBGa-rich full-plant extract during the day, in this case in oil form.

Within a few weeks, the measured PSA fell to 1.98 ng/ml according to the laboratory results provided to Peter. Subsequently, during a period of more than 22 months, repeated blood tests reported a PSA of 0.00. According to the medical information received, previously described bone abnormalities were also no longer found on a later bone scan.

It is understandable that such a development raises questions.

But an important distinction is needed here.

An individual case does not prove that the extract treated or cured the cancer. Controlled studies are needed for that, taking into account all other treatments, medications, medical data, and possible explanations.

Peter therefore does not present this experience as scientific proof. He sees it as a development that is striking enough to be documented seriously, independently, and completely, and investigated further.

Sometimes meaning begins with something very small

A second experience Peter describes concerns a man with advanced cancer and severe pain.

After using suppositories, this man said that his pain had greatly diminished in a short time and subsequently, according to his own account, had completely disappeared. He could sleep again and regained his appetite.

What Peter remembered most were not just the words about pain.

It was the little things.

The man said that after a long time, he had eaten brown bread with a fried egg and cheese again. He had drunk coffee and visibly enjoyed it.

For someone who is healthy, these are insignificant daily activities. For someone who is increasingly removed from normal life by serious illness, pain, and loss of appetite, such moments can mean a great deal.

It also shows why health cannot always be expressed exclusively in laboratory values.

Being able to sleep. Being able to eat. Being able to have a conversation. Experiencing pleasure again for a while.

Quality of life is also part of the story.

At the same time, the same applies here: the experience of one person tells what that person experienced, but does not prove that an extract treated a disease.

The plant as a whole: the entourage concept

The question underlying Peter's research is actually larger than just CBDa or suppositories.

Can the whole of a plant behave differently than one individual substance from that plant?

Scientific research often focuses on one cannabinoid, one receptor, one cell type, or one biological process. That is understandable: by investigating variables separately, researchers can better understand what is happening.

But a human body, of course, does not consist of one receptor.

And a plant does not consist of one cannabinoid either.

A full-plant extract contains multiple components that are present at the same time. Cannabinoids and other plant substances are linked in preclinical research to, among other things, pain perception, inflammatory signals, oxidative stress, nerve activity, and immune processes.

This does not mean that all components automatically reinforce each other. It does mean that the effect of a full-plant extract cannot simply be equated with the effect of one isolated molecule.

In this regard, Peter refers, among others, to research by Gallily and colleagues, in which a difference was observed between purified CBD and a CBD-rich plant extract in the dose-response relationship.

Not investigated in suppositories. Not investigated in cancer.

But interesting as an indication that the plant matrix can make a difference.

Not every cannabis suppository is the same

That is also an important point in Peter's article.

Under the collective name cannabis suppository, very different products can fall: products with synthetic THC, chemically modified THC compounds, decarboxylated distillates, isolates, crude extracts, or conversely, non-forced decarboxylated full-plant extracts.

Chemically speaking, these are not identical products.

The suppository base itself is also important. The extract must be released in a reproducible manner, and the suppository must be as homogeneous as possible.

For serious research, Peter therefore considers extensive analyses necessary. Not only of cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids, but for example also of microbiology, pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and solvent residues. The profile of terpenes and other plant components can also be relevant.

This may sound technical, but it touches on a simple question:

If you want to investigate what a plant extract does, you must first know exactly what is in that extract.

Natural does not automatically mean safe

Precisely because we at CBD & Herb believe in natural support, we think it is important to also address this side of the story.

Natural does not automatically mean safe for everyone.

Cannabis products that contain THC can, for example, cause side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety, confusion, or changes in blood pressure. Interactions with medications can also be relevant.

With rectal application, these points of attention do not automatically disappear.

Especially in serious illness, pregnancy, certain conditions, medication use, or vulnerable groups, expert guidance is important. Rectal application may also be unsuitable in cases of, for example, bleeding, damage to the mucous membrane, certain bowel problems, or recent surgeries.

And perhaps most importantly: cannabis products should never be a reason to stop necessary medical diagnostics, check-ups, or proven treatments without consultation in cases of serious illness.

What do we still not know?

Perhaps that is the most interesting part of Peter's story.

There has been very little proper human research done on suppositories with a THCa-dominant, non-forced decarboxylated full-plant extract.

And even less is known about extracts in which the natural profile of terpenes, flavonoids, cannabflavins, sterols, and other cannabinoid acids has also been preserved.

That does not mean we can conclude that it works.

But it also does not mean we can conclude that it does not work.

It mainly means that there is still a lot to be investigated.

Think of research into absorption and pharmacokinetics, stability, different suppository bases, and the differences between rectal, oral, and sublingual administration. Ultimately, well-designed clinical studies are also needed.

This brings us to an important starting point of Peter's article:

experiences can be a reason for science, but they must not be confused with scientific proof.

From one percentage to the whole story

For CBD & Herb, that line of thinking is precisely what is interesting.

We work with the Full spectrum CBDa oils from CBD Spain, based on the conviction that a plant is more than one individual substance. The quality of the starting material, the method of cultivation, the extraction process, and the preservation of the original plant profile are all important parts of the story.

That is why we prefer to look further than just the percentage on a bottle.

Because a 10% Full spectrum extract does not tell the same story as a product in which one isolated substance is present for 10%. It is about the composition of the total extract and what has been preserved during the production process.

This aligns with the core of Peter's vision:

not only to look at what we can get from a plant, but above all at what we manage to preserve during the process.

Research that raises new questions above all

The beauty of Peter's article is perhaps precisely that it does not end with a major conclusion.

It ends with a question.

What if we no longer primarily assess the cannabis plant by one percentage, one molecule, or one receptor?

What if we first try to understand how complex the plant itself is?

And what if the way we process that plant turns out to be at least as important as the substance we are looking for on the label?

The experiences with full plant extracts and suppositories that Peter describes are not an endpoint. They are an invitation to look further, measure better, and above all, investigate further.

Because perhaps true understanding of cannabis does not begin with the question:

“How much CBD is in it?”

but with a much broader question:

“What has the plant given us – and how much of that have we managed to preserve?”

More in-depth: Peter Vermeul's full article

In his full article, Peter Vermeul goes into much greater detail about his experiences with full plant extracts, the development of his extraction method, cannabinoid acids, rectal administration, the described practical cases, and the research he believes is necessary to better understand these applications scientifically.

For those who want to delve deeper into the vision behind Full Spectrum CBDa and the search for the preservation of the entire plant, the full article is therefore certainly worth reading.

CBD & Herb collects the articles and new insights from the research and experiences of Peter Vermeul, founder and owner of CBD Spain. We share this information because we want to help people better inform themselves about the cannabis plant and about natural ways to support health and well-being.

• The Unknown effects of Full Plant Extracts  in the form of suppositories - pdf NL
• The Unprecedented effects off Full-Plant Extracts in the form of Suppositories - pdf EN

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