As mentioned before, there are about 120
terpenes found in cannabis. They coexist in
the herb with cannabinoids like THC and
CBD (sometimes even working with them for
our better experience), but they are not
psychoactive like THC.
Some of those terpenes can be found in other
plants, while others are exclusive to cannabis.
But, It’s not all about the smell, though.
Terpenes also have therapeutic properties and
can aid in plant’s medical effects:
Research on medical properties of terpenes
in cannabis
Some terpenes are very effective in relieving
stress, others are great when you need to relax,
while there are some that boost focus.
There are many options here, as you’ll have a
chance to see.
For example, myrcene induces sleep, while
limonene uplifts our mood.
They interact with our endocannabinoid
system and assist cannabinoids in entering the
bloodstream, in a process called the entourage
effect. In recent years, terpenes found in cannabis
became an important subject of scientific
research.
It was Jürg Gertsch who first noticed the
ability of beta-caryophyllene to bind to the
CB2 receptors, calling it “a dietary
cannabinoid”.
Myrcene, for instance, increases cell
permeability and allows cannabinoids to be
absorbed faster than they would on their own. He also concluded that all green vegetables
that contain this terpene are extremely
beneficial for human use.
Limonene is responsible for increasing
serotonin levels which influences how weed
affects our mood. That means these terpenes
can influence neurotransmitters in our brain
which entails that different strains may have
different effects on our mood. Shortly after that, Dr. Ethan Russo published
an article in 2011 in British Journal of
Pharmacology, which pointed to all the
therapeutic properties of terpenes in
marijuana, especially those missing in
cannabis products that only contain CBD.
Terpenes and the “Entourage Effect”
explained…
The “Entourage Effect” is a term coined by S.
Ben-Shabat and Raphael Mechoulam back in
1998 to represent the biological synergy of
cannabinoids and other compounds like
flavonoids and, of course, terpenes.
According to Chris Emerson, these
compounds work together to make “the sum
of all the parts that leads to the magic or power
of cannabis”.
When terpenes work with cannabinoids like
CBD and THC, they form a synergy that
creates stronger and better effects than both
would achieve on their own.
This symbiosis between cannabinoids and
terpenes is what gives cannabis its special
powers, as it improves the absorption of
cannabinoids, overcomes bacterial defence
mechanisms and minimises any side effects.
He discussed the cannabinoid-terpene
interaction as a “synergy with respect to
treatment of pain, inflammation, depression,
anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, cancer, fungal
and bacterial infections”.
Further research discovered that terpenes,
terpenoids, and cannabinoids have the
potential to kill respiratory pathogens, for
instance, the MRSA virus.
However, that’s not even half of the story.
Terpenes have a lot more health effects which
we’ll discuss next.