WHAT ARE TERPENES?
Terpenes are organic chemicals found in cannabis that give your flower her unique aroma and subtle taste. If you look closely at a bud, you’ll see tiny stalks with large bulbous gland heads. These are called trichomes. A trichome’s gland head is where cannabinoids and terpenoids are made—the therapeutic compounds exclusive to this amazing plant.
Cannabis researchers are studying how terpenes and other cannabinoids work together in an entourage effect to relieve pain, anxiety, depression, inflammation and other ailments.
WHY WORRY ABOUT TERPENES?
Like CBD, terpenes are not psychoactive. This means they won’t get you high but they might benefit your health.
Terpenes are often used as anti-inflammatories and analgesics (pain-relievers). Their advocates (it me!!) say they can help with a wide range of health conditions, from anxiety to Alzheimer’s disease!
While terpenes are a component of most plants, they are almost always talked about in conjunction with marijuana as they are highly concentrated in the cannabis plant. There are over 20,000 terpenes altogether, over 100 of which are found in cannabis.
In nature, terpenes are a defense system to stop plants getting eaten by herbivores or damaged by high temperatures. They also attract pollinators such as bees.
For humans, different terpenes have different effects – including different health benefits. Each plant has a unique blend of terpenes. This is called its terpenes profile.
WHY ARE TERPENES IMPORTANT?
Terpenes are important for a number of reasons.
For people with health conditions and the medical marijuana industry, terpenes are important because as scientific knowledge about them increases, they can be used to create products that better target specific health disorders and diseases.
Scientists used to believe that smells had positive health benefits because your sense of smell is associated with areas of the brain that influence your mood.
But they now believe that terpenes act directly on brain cells. They think terpenes work by binding to receptors and neurotransmitters and imitating natural compounds in your body to regulate emotions, weight, health etc.
Scientists say that terpenes in cannabis enhance the effect of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD leading to increased therapeutic benefits. This is called the entourage effect.
In groundbreaking research published in 2011 in the British Journal of Pharmacology, neurologist Ethan Russo suggested that cannabinoids and terpenes work together to increase the effectiveness of each other. Cannabis Synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects
HOW TO BENEFIT FROM TERPENES
You already benefit from terpenes every day by eating plants rich in these compounds. You can also check the ingredients of essential oils, or like the Japanese, take a “forest-bath.” A 20- minute walk in a pine or conifer forest is enough to feel the benefit… Or you can buy UDSA organic certified TERPENES ONLY products HERE!
