What are Cannabis Terpenes?

You are probably familiar with cannabinoids like THC and CBD – but do you know about Cannabis Terpenes?

Terpenes are chemicals found in cannabis that not only give the plant its taste and aroma, and also deliver some therapeutic effects.

There are over 20,000 terpenes in nature, with more than 200 identified as cannabis terpenes (not found exclusively within cannabis, but found in the cannabis plants). It is worth noting that the terpenes in cannabis vary from strain to strain.

You can think of terpenes in a way similar to amino acids – they are building blocks within cannabis and other plant materials which help with production of vitamins, pigments, hormones, resins and cannabinoids.

Here are just a few of the terpenes we know about:

Hashishene

This newly discovered cannabis terpene is thought to be exclusive to Hash! Watch our video on Hashishene or read our article here:

Out of all the discovered cannabis terpenes, Pinene is perhaps one of the most well-known, and it is also found in many non-cannabis plants. In fact, it is the most common known terpene found in the plant world.

Whaxy states: Pinene’s medical efficacy includes increased mental focus and energy. It also acts as a bronchodilator, making it helpful for people with asthma and other respiratory ailments. In addition, it can be used as a topical antiseptic. Probably the most promising application of this terpene, however, is its power to reduce the size of cancerous tumors.

Pinene’s magical power is derived from its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain, it affects existing neurotransmitters in such a manner that it results in better memory. Pinene has also shown to inhibit the influence of THC, an example of the entourage effect that may result in a decrease in paranoia or adverse psychological reactions from this cannabinoid when consumed in large quantities.

The power of pinene is nothing new. For literally thousands of years, many cultures around the world have used plants containing large quantities of pinene, like rosemary and sage, for the preservation and enhancement of memory. It’s only today that researchers have a minor understanding of how pinene accomplishes this in the brain.

That is our brief intro into the world of Cannabis terpenes. Know something that should be added to this article? Tweet us @ISMOKEMAG