Everyone loves cannabis, and more people are waking up to the complexities within this plant. Everyone knows about the powerful intoxicating effects of THC, or the medical cure CBD, but where it really gets interesting, is when we get to the Terpenes. THC is powerful, its like a crash cymbal in an orchestra; Its loud, brash, and highly noticable. But at the end of the day, a crash cymbal aint much without the whole orchestra. Now throw in some other cannabinoids as the Bass and percussion sections, Limonene and B-Carophyllene on brass, Myrcene and cymene on strings, Pinenes got the horns, and everyones favorite; Linalool is on the Harp. Now we’re getting closer to having the whole experience, the whole sha-bang, as it were. Not only is the band complete, but we’re left with a much more recreationally and medicinally complex substance. Now to think, that there are thousands of potential terpenes within cannabis, and each one brings its own set of instruments to the table; the true power and scope of this science may become a little clearer.

This is called the Ensemble, or Entourage effect

Maybe you’ve heard of the dips, drops, dunks or soups, maybe you haven’t. To cut to the chase would be to say that there is something powerful brewing beneath our feet in the cannabis community. Something most people have heard of, but have yet to look a bit deeper. Lets start with the basics.

Terpenes, in respect to cannabis, are the fragrant and active products within the plant that are responsible for fighting pests, like many insects, and attracting desirable hosts, like us humans! The sharp pine and energizing effects of Durban Poison, The mind-clarifying speed of Tangie, And the smooth mellowing of Afghan Kush, all come from the different ratios of terpenes within. Along with other compounds like Oxides, Ketones, Alcohols, or esters, terpenes are responsible for the differing effects of cannabis. These compounds exert such a strong effect on us because they directly regulate the endocannabinoid system; an endogenous system of cannabis-like chemicals that regulate our mood, appetite, and immune system, among other things. The Terpenes can essentially direct which cannabinoids go to which receptors, and what effects come from such.

Terpenes are an extensive group of chemicals that include scents, pigments, hormones, and polymers, but for now, were going to stick with the smaller, fragrant kinds. All of the essential oils that you’ve ever smelled are made up of typically at least a dozen different terpenes, Such as Tea Tree, which contains terpenes like Terpinolene, Cymene, and 1,8-Cineole, Or lavender, which contains Linalool, Borneol, and Nerol.

Just like classical aromatherapy, while each of these terpenes can have a specific psychoactive or bioreactive effects, the therapeutic or medical potential blossoms when there compounds are paired with each other. Now the different ratios between even the smallest amount of Terpenes can have a drastic effect on its experience, But luckily We have our faithful companion Mother Nature to help us take examples of the right ways to go.

But these fragrant terpenes are not all just for consumption, they also serve industrial purposes like steralizing and degreasing, like Limonene, or paint thinners, like Turpentine, of which, terpenes get their name.

Terpenes are essentially Isoprene molecules built upon themselves to create the chemicals responsible for not only the aromatic essence of cannabis, but also the heavier, cannabinoid fraction of cannabis, includes the terpenoids Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as Cannabidiol (CBD).

But this is just the beginning of the story, and Cannabis is just the first chapter. The other chapters are filled with terpenes as biofuel, hormone supplementation, textile, and industrial products, and a myriad of drug discovery potentials.

Keep your ear to the grindstone, theres some pretty interesting things brewing.