I don't see how it fails to support my argument that by reducing a plant to one or a handful of alkaloids that represent a fraction of the body of the plants ch

I don't see how it fails to support my argument that by reducing a plant to one or a handful of alkaloids that represent a fraction of the body of the plants chemical makeup, we risk losing out on some of what the plant has to offer. I don't disagree that sometimes, that can be a good thing. However, it's not always; in the case of Marinol "While there has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis in its natural form,[86] Marinol can lead to death" Additionally, the process of isolating and combining the individual components of a plant in order to reproduce observed health benefits of the plant consumed as a whole can be a long and tedious process. Marinol's failure as a good substitute for most people who desire the effects of marijuana is a pretty good example of why, even in this age of science, it is still sometimes better to go back to the source. Green tea extracts, which I also mentioned, frequently consist of Green Tea Catechins, without including, or mentioning whether they contain, L-Theanine, an amino acid in Green tea that has been observed to have nootropic and mood-elevating effects. For someone who wants to reproduce the documented benefits of GTC, by all means go ahead and take the extract. But the benefits of green tea consumed in the traditional way have been enjoyed and observed both in studies over the last few decades, as well as by millions of people over the last thousands of years. Until we've rigorously studied every alkaloid contained in the plant individually, as well as the countless combinations and permutations of those alkaloids (also taking into account the innumerable relative concentrations in which they can be delivered and balanced), it will be hard for science to say whether the components of green tea are present in the most optimal way for X Y Z desired effects