Hemp is not a simple plant. It is a layered chemistry built from three distinct classes of compounds, and most people only ever meet one of them. CBD gets named on the label and takes all the credit, while the rest of the plant fades into the background. That picture is tidy, and it is incomplete.
The three classes are cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, and they do not act in isolation. Cannabinoids get the headlines. Terpenes and flavonoids fill in around them. Knowing all three is the difference between hoping a product works and understanding why it was built the way it was. It is also the vocabulary behind a phrase you have probably seen on a label but rarely seen explained: the entourage effect.
Class one: cannabinoids, the molecules everyone knows
Cannabinoids are the compounds the hemp plant is best known for. The plant produces more than a hundred of them, and only a handful are familiar. Beyond CBD and THC sit the cannabinoids LEVEL formulates around, including CBG, CBN, CBC, CBDa, THCv, and CBDv. You will often see these labeled minor cannabinoids. LEVEL calls them emergent instead, because they occur in smaller amounts, not because they matter less. Advances in cultivation and extraction are what made them practical to begin working with at all.
It helps to understand what cannabinoids do in general, because the common framing gets it wrong. They are not switches. They do not flip a single pathway and produce one fixed result the way a painkiller targets a receptor or coffee blocks adenosine binding. They work more like a volume control on a complex system. That system is the endocannabinoid system, the network the body uses to keep itself balanced across stress, mood, sleep, appetite, and discomfort. Cannabinoids modulate signals that are already in motion rather than overriding them. They adjust how your whole system is regulating itself, which is why the effects build over time rather than arriving all at once.
A detail worth getting right, because most sources miss it: CBD does not bind directly to the main cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, the way THC does. Its work happens indirectly. It slows the breakdown of anandamide, one of the body's own signaling molecules, by inhibiting an enzyme called FAAH. It engages the serotonin receptor 5-HT1A, along with TRPV channels and PPAR-gamma signaling. The practical result is a compound that is gradual and steady in character rather than sharp and fast. Different cannabinoids reach the system through different doors, which is the whole reason they produce different functional effects.
One more point of accuracy that sits at the heart of how the plant is organized. The hemp plant builds most of its cannabinoids from a single acidic precursor, CBGa. As the plant matures, CBGa converts into the acidic forms that become CBD, CBG, THC, and the rest. That makes CBGa, not CBG, the true parent molecule, even though the popular shorthand often points at the wrong one.
Class two: terpenes, the aromatic layer
Terpenes are the organoleptic compounds that give hemp its smell. They are not unique to cannabis. They are the same broad family responsible for the scent of lavender, citrus peel, and pine forests. In hemp, common ones include myrcene, limonene, linalool, pinene, and beta-caryophyllene. They are volatile, which is to say they evaporate easily, and that volatility is exactly what carries aroma to your nose the moment a bottle is opened.
Aroma is the obvious part. The more interesting part is that terpenes are not only scent. Research suggests several of them interact with the same biological pathways cannabinoids use, which is how they can shape and color the experience a formulation produces. Beta-caryophyllene is the clearest example. It engages the CB2 receptor directly, which is unusual for a compound most people would file under fragrance. This is why terpenes are part of the conversation about how hemp works, not a footnote to it.
Every LEVEL Protab includes hemp-derived terpenes, steam distilled and added back to the formulation on purpose. There are no botanicals, no caffeine, and no flavor additives standing in for the real thing. The terpene content is part of the engineering, not decoration.
Class three: flavonoids, the least familiar layer
Flavonoids are the third class, and the one almost no one mentions. They are pigment and antioxidant compounds found throughout the plant world, the same family that gives blueberries and dark leafy greens much of their color and protective character. Hemp carries common flavonoids alongside a small group that is nearly unique to cannabis, the cannflavins, including cannflavin A and cannflavin B.
Here is the honest position on flavonoids. Of the three classes, their research base is the least investigated. Early work points to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, and the cannflavins in particular have drawn scientific interest, but the evidence is preliminary and should be read that way. What flavonoids contribute today is best understood as part of the whole-plant picture. A full-spectrum extract carries flavonoids along with its cannabinoids and terpenes, which is part of what distinguishes whole-plant chemistry from an isolated single compound.
How the three classes work together
The reason these classes are worth naming together is the interaction between them, often called the entourage effect. The idea is that cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids working in combination can produce an effect greater than what any one of them produces alone. The qualifier that matters most is this: at LEVEL, the entourage effect is not random. It is treated as a precise chemical equation designed for a predictable outcome.
That qualifier is the part to hold onto, because the biggest myth in the category is that all full-spectrum products are the same. They are not. Full spectrum is not a magic word that guarantees a result. What determines the effect is which molecules are present and in what ratio. A blend assembled by accident and a blend engineered for a specific outcome can both wear the same label and behave nothing alike. The volume-control framing applies here too. The combination turns some signals up and others down, and the experience that emerges depends on the exact mix.
How LEVEL builds the entourage on purpose
LEVEL formulations are organized around outcomes, not stacked for the sake of stacking. Each cannabinoid does specific work, the terpenes are matched to it, and the result is built backward from the effect a person is after. The lineup is arranged by goal rather than ranked best to worst. Different cannabinoids occupy different lanes.
The Relax Protab pairs CBD with CBC and CBG for a calmer daytime baseline without sedation. The Relief Protab combines the acidic cannabinoid CBDa with CBG and CBC, aimed at everyday physical ease and smoother movement. The SLEEP Protab brings together CBD, CBN, and CBG for nighttime rest, with CBN included for its role in supporting sleep continuity rather than as a knockout sedative. The Energy Protab pairs THCv and CBDv with CBG, dosed at 10 mg each, for an uplift-and-focus effect built for engaging with your day, not winding down from it. Four Protabs, four cannabinoid equations, four different intended results.
How to use them and what to expect
Take it with a light meal or snack that contains dietary fat to support absorption. Onset is typically 20 to 45 minutes. The more important guidance is to give a daily routine a couple of weeks before judging it. Because cannabinoids modulate a system rather than force a single reaction, the effect compounds with consistency. Small inputs, steady results. You are more likely to notice a steadier baseline than a dramatic switch, and that is by design.
Finding your lane
None of these formulations is better than another. They are tuned for different goals. If your aim is a calmer daytime baseline, the Relax Protab may be your best choice. If physical ease is the priority, try Relief. If the goal is nighttime rest, start with SLEEP. CBD on its own is the foundational starting point, steady and broad, while a multi-cannabinoid formulation is the more targeted choice. Neither is the upgrade. They are different tools.
If you are new to cannabinoids and want to compare formulations before committing to one, the Discovery Kit packs trial sizes of the lineup into a single starting point. If you are not sure which lane fits, the quickest way to narrow it down is the quiz.
Take the quiz to find your formulation.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three classes of molecules in hemp?
Cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG, CBN, and CBC are the most familiar class. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that also interact with some of the same biological pathways. Flavonoids are pigment and antioxidant compounds, including the cannabis-specific cannflavins. All three are present in whole-plant hemp chemistry.
What is the entourage effect?
It is the idea that cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids working together can produce an effect greater than any single compound on its own. At LEVEL the entourage effect is treated as a designed outcome rather than a happy accident, which means the specific molecules and ratios are chosen deliberately for a predictable result.
Are the terpenes in LEVEL tablets the same as essential oils?
They are hemp-derived terpenes, steam distilled and added back to each Protab as part of the formulation. LEVEL does not use botanical fillers, caffeine, or flavor additives. The terpene content is matched to the cannabinoid blend on purpose.
Do flavonoids actually contribute anything?
The research on flavonoids is the sparsest of the three classes, so the honest answer is that the evidence is still early. Flavonoids are studied for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, and the cannflavins are of particular scientific interest. For now they are best understood as part of the whole-plant picture rather than a standalone benefit.
Is full-spectrum better than a single cannabinoid?
Not better, just different. A single cannabinoid like CBD is a steady, foundational starting point. A multi-cannabinoid formulation is more targeted toward a specific goal. What matters is not the full-spectrum label itself but which molecules are present and in what ratio. The right choice depends on what you are trying to support.
Related reading
For a closer look at how individual compounds compare, see CBG vs CBD and What Is THCv. For the nighttime side of the lineup, CBN for sleep covers what the research says. You can also browse targeted benefits by cannabinoid, or explore the formulations directly: the Relax Protab, the Relief Protab, the SLEEP Protab, and the foundational CBD Protab.
