There is something about the smell and taste of cannabis thats magical, the same plant can be so varied, whether its the dutty filter killing smell of the powerful luton cut exo cheese we love so much here at GR420 or the surreal taste of overpowering orange you get from the strain agent orange, there is something making these strains exhibit these amazing traits.
Terpenes are what give these strains these properties and knowing a bit more about them will make you appreciate your cannabis even more.
Terpenes are produced in the same glands that produce cannabinoids, THC and CBD, they are what gives different strains those amazing flavours that we all love, from mint to citrus, berry to dutty dutty cheese!
Terpenes developed in cannabis for the same reasons other plants smell unique, whether its to stop some hungry critter having a good much (would be a very happy critter
) or to attract other critters to help pollinate and produce the next generation of dutty smelling (yep im liking that word today :D) ganja plants. Other things can effect the development of Terpenes, climate, weather, age, fertilizers, soil/medium type, even the time of the day!Many terpenes have been identified in cannabis, over 100. As you can imagine this has led to many many flavour profiles in the many many strains available. Each strain will tend towards a selected type of terpene compositions. A (here comes that word again....) DUTTY
cheese plant will pass on the genetic make up to produce more cheese flavoring strains as its bred, A blueberry will pass on that sweet berry flavour. Now you can see where it get interesting. Mixing a dutty.....i mean cheese and blueberry plant will pass on the genetics to produce both sets of terpenes, that doesn't mean you are going to get 50/50 of the tastes, thats where selecting breeding comes in, but ill cover that in another topic. But you get the idea.If your on this forum you know there there are so many flavours out there, these terpenes are what you have to thank for this. But that isn't where terpenes stop, The glorious herb has been bred over the years to contain very high levels of THC, this has led to other cannabinoids like CBD being reduced to trace levels in many varieties. Terpenes interact with these cannabinoids leading many to believe that terpenes play a key role in the differing effects of the many strains available to us stoners and patients.
Your brain is full of cannabinoid receptors (Yep they have been in your brain all along :shock:), THC binds to these receptors producing the effects we get from cannabis. Some terpenes receptors and effect the reaction. Others can even effect how much THC passes through the blood brain barrier, yep shit did just get interesting! So its not just the level of THC that can effect how stoned you get from a cannabis strain.
The effects vary from terpene to terpene, some are better at relieving stress while others can increase focus. Mycrene (a type of terpene) can help get you to sleep, Limonene (another terpene) can lighten your mood.
More importantly than just making different strains taste and how they effect you differently is the medical benefits these terpenes may possess. After all, if a terpene can effect the rate in which certain cannabiniods are used within the body, how much of a cannabiniod is taken up into your blood stream, and certain terpenes have their own effects the medical benefits could be huge. In the US research is under way, some test labs already testing terpene content as well as cannabiniods, the future looks very interesting indeed!
To read about some of the more common terpenes and the effects they have PLEASE CLICK HERE!
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