28/03/2022
Terpenes 1/4: General Introduction
Terpenes are a collective term for the volatile, taste- and effect-stimulating ingredients of plants and also animals. In the case of plants, they are found in herbs, fruits, vegetables, leaves, roots and tubers. Terpenes give many plants their characteristic fragrance and flavor. Known in 2018 are more than 8000 terpenes as pure hydrocarbons and further more than 30,000 terpenoids, i.e. hydrocarbons with functional chains. Since many plants have quite individual and distinctive terpene profiles, it is possible to draw conclusions about underlying species by analyzing the terpene profile by means of these secondary constituents.
In addition to cucumber, tomato, mint, lime, mango, melon, peach and thousands of other cultivated and wild plant species, cannabis in particular has become the focus of terpene collectors in recent years. This is because cannabis forms numerous different terpene profiles specific to its variety, and can combine many terpenes found individually in other plants with others within itself. The diversity and variance is no coincidence, as the cannabis plant is one of the most highly bred polyhybrid plants ever. This is especially true for CBD hemp flowers with less than 1% THC, as they can be legally purchased in our country.
Terpenes are known to modulate and moderate the modes of action of the main ingredients of cannabis flowers, cannabinoids. For example, the receptivity of specific cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) is increased by certain terpenes or cross-reactions occur. The mutual influence of the modes of action by cannabinoids and terpenes is also known as the entourage effect and will play an important role in medical and cannabis research in the future.
As indicated, there are countless terpenes, of which close to a hundred have been discovered in cannabis flowers to date. While a major part of cannabis flowers is made up by plant constituents such as chlorophyll and in second place cannabinoids, terpenes make up a very small percentage of the biomass. While cannabinoids, as the main constituents of resin glands, can account for up to 30% of the material, terpenes naturally often range in the per mil range. At high levels, it can also be low percentages of up to 3-5%, but only in absolutely exceptional cases. However, this is all that is needed, because terpenes are effective even at such low concentrations. We remember: terpenes moderate and modulate the effects of cannabinoids and thus act with a certain leverage, for example, by further opening the blood-brain barrier or sensitizing the receptors of the endocannabinoid system. Terpenes can enhance, but also attenuate, the specific modes of action of individual cannabinoids and other terpenes. Incidentally, some terpenes are also cannabinoids and vice versa - for example, beta-caryophyllene acts as a cannabinoid in this way, due in no small part to its complex molecular structure.
Now, with beta-caryophyllene, we have already named the first of the six terpenes most commonly found in cannabis. In addition to beta-caryophyllene, myrcene, humulene, linalool, limonene, and alpha-pinene are also found in most terpene profiles.
We at Vapes'n'Dabs carry numerous terpene profiles in the same composition as found in cannabis plants of certain varieties. We focus on natural terpenes, individually extracted from real plants. Based on measurement results regarding the concrete terpene profiles of real plants, our terpene profiles are proportionally blended from these separated substances, which makes them unmistakable with the right variety and provides recognition value.
To give you a sense of how different and versatile certain terpenes can be, we'd like to introduce you to the aforementioned six major terpenes in more detail in the following articles: Myrcene, Beta-Caryophyllene, Linalool, Alpha-Pinene, Humulene and Limonene.