What Are Cannabis Terpenes and Why Do They Matter?
Written by Nick Marshall
What makes a great cannabis strain? To a large extent, it’s about the terpenes. In the search for your go-to flower, they play a significant role in helping you narrow down your preferences for a particular profile. That’s because terpenes are the natural plant oils that give cannabis (and plants in general) their distinctive flavor and aroma. There’s also compelling evidence that terpenes influence the experience of cannabis through the entourage effect.
What are Terpenes?
There are more than 20,000 terpene types, of which just over 200 are found in the cannabis plant. These naturally occurring essential oils — not the cannabinoids — are what give each cannabis plant its particular aroma, flavor and character. These pungent terpene aromas serve a practical purpose in nature — repelling insects on the flower with citrus or eucalyptus oils and discouraging grazing animals from nibbling leaves with bitter flavors. Terpenes are most highly concentrated in the unfertilized female flower, rather than the leaves or stem. Once terpenes have undergone oxidation through drying and curing, they become terpenoids.
Common cannabis terpenoids and their character:
Pinene - the most common terpene in nature, mainly because it is the essential oil in pine needles.
Limonene - the second most common terpene in nature, with a strong (and pleasant) citrus aroma.
Myrcene - the most common terpene in the cannabis plant, easily identified by its musky aroma reminiscent of hops.
Caryophyllene - brings some black pepper spice to cannabis, with cinnamon and clove notes.
Caryophyllene oxide - a natural plant antifungal and insecticide, this terpene has a eucalyptus aroma.
Linalool - a soothing lavender aroma that is prized for its sedative and anti-inflammatory properties.
Nerolidol - another sedative terpene with a light citrus peel aroma.
Phytol - earthy and grassy, this is the terpene that gives green tea its flavor.
How Are Terpenes Different from Cannabinoids?
Like cannabinoids, terpenes are highly lipophilic compounds, meaning that they do not mix easily with water. For that reason, most plant terpenes are concentrated in the sticky sap around the bud. The molecules are volatile and a large proportion of the available terpene content is lost during drying and storage. Whereas the body’s endocannabinoid system produces many of the 100+ cannabinoids also found in cannabis, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabinol (CBN), the body does not produce its own terpenes. These are strictly plant-based compounds, but they nevertheless influence the behavior and effectiveness of cannabinoids in the body.
The Effects of Terpenes on the Body
Numerous studies have shown that terpenoids can affect animal and human behavior when inhaled or ingested. With essential oils, this property of terpenes is a key feature of aromatherapy, but in cannabis it can also enhance or counter the effects of cannabinoids and THC. Some examples:
Limonene’s fresh citrus aroma boosts serotonin levels and has anti-inflammatory properties. As far back as the 10th century, there are also accounts of citrus fruits being used as a natural way to counter the intoxicating effects of cannabis (although we didn’t actually identify THC until 1964).
Pinene can reduce the psychoactive effects and memory loss of THC. It also has notable anti-inflammatory and memory boosting properties, and is often used as a natural expectorant.
Linalool can lessen the effects of anxiety from THC.
Myrcene has sedative, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
Terpenes and the Entourage Effect
One of the founding principles of the full-spectrum market is that terpenes possess powerful phytokinetic properties that speed up the absorption of other cannabinoids and enhance their overall performance through the entourage effect. Certainly, the terpene profile of a particular cannabis strain can influence how intensely users experience the psychoactive effects from THC. It’s important to note, however, that there’s still a lot of uncertainty about how cannabinoids and terpenes work, both individually and together. In fact, the entourage effect theory is disputed entirely by some studies.
Where to Find Terpenes
Just as a wine connoisseur can identify and savor a wine through the nose alone, a cannabis aficionado can usually pick out the most common terpenes from the aroma. But if you want to know exactly what you’re working with, particularly when taking an oil or tincture, check the Certificate of Analysis. This lab report will catalogue the full cannabinoid and terpene profile in detail.
Sources:
British Journal of Pharmacology - “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects”
PLoS One - “Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa”
Plant Science - “Terpenes in Cannabis sativa – From plant genome to humans”
University of Vermont - The Science of Medical Cannabis
Medical Jane - Terpenes: What Are Terpenoids And What Do They Do?
The Cannigma - How to read a certificate of analysis (COA) for cannabis