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Cannabis Terpenes

Introduction

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (look it up, all ye who enter here and don’t know what a record is), cannabis terpenes are the new fair-haired children of the internet search bar. And we have marijuana legalization to thank for that. With the thousands of terpenes already discovered, though, we need serious organization for the ordinary human to understand. Nothing is better for that than a cup of coffee or tea and a nice chart.

What Are Cannabis Terpenes?

If you haven’t heard the term before, don’t worry — we won’t assume you were raised by wolves. Even though we’ve known about these aromatic compounds for a long time, it was only recently they have come under the bright light of scientific scrutiny in the field of marijuana and hemp research. Now that we can explore weed under a microscope without a DEA raid, we are learning that its building blocks may be much more interesting and beneficial than we thought. If you go outside right now and inhale you will experience terpenes. Let’s say your neighbor just mowed the lawn. That smell of freshly-cut grass contains terpenes humans enjoy, but it’s really the grass emitting green leaf volatiles (GLV) trying to save itself from injury and warn the rest of the lawn that danger is coming. Of special note is that these volatiles add to the gasoline emissions in damaging the ozone layer.  Terpenes also help plants and animals attract mates and repel predators (think skunks), and might even be able to help make it rain.  When you walk into a pine forest, you are experiencing different terpenes. Walking through the rose garden today? There will be different terpenes there. Did you anger a stinkbug, eat an orange, or peel corn? Yep, terpenes.

Categories of Cannabis Terpenes

If you took a minute just now to research terpenes on the internet, you probably got a lot of word salads that contain “terpene” in them. This can be confusing, so if you’re in the mood for a science class, let’s look at the ones you will see the most if you read beyond this article.

Monoterpenes

This class of terpenes has two isoprene units and are found in many parts of plants, and are found in abundance in essential oils. Common examples are myrcene (in hops and cannabis) and limonene, a citrus terpene.

Sesquiterpenes

These terpenes contain three isoprene units. Sesquiterpenes are what you smell on a rainy day as the water hits bacteria in the soil and it emits a chemical response. Other examples are caryophyllene and humulene, abundant terpenes in cannabis. There are several more terpene classes, like hermiterpenes, diterpenes, polyterpenes, etc., but they are beyond the scope and breadth of basic understanding of cannabis terpenes. Feel free to open a new tab and check them out!  

Why Are Cannabis Terepenes Important?

In this case, you have to remember that fragrances have great importance to humans as well. The smell of rotten meat will keep us from eating it. The smell of roses might remind us of lazy summer days—or of Aunt Lydia’s check-pinching greetings when we were little—and inform our amygdala and hippocampus in our brains. Those help create detailed memories that, in turn, generate moods and reactions. Those reactions can cause us to set up the hammock near the garden in June or find excuses to miss family reunions. Because terpenes may be able to modify your moods, they are an important part of your cannabis consumption. When you choose an indica strain, you unknowingly choose a set of terpenes that might help you relax. When you choose sativas, you’re choosing a different set of terpenes that could give you a bit of energy and a creative edge. Terpenes are also important in essential oil choices. Even Bach’s Flower Remedies and other homeopathic essences are enjoying more research (and less quack medicine stigma) today because of terpene research. 

How many Cannabis Terpenes Are There?

Over 20,000. No kidding. And that’s just a number as of today. Tomorrow there may be more. We have only scratched the surface of plant species identification, so there could be hundreds of thousands of them.  That begs the question: How can a mere human possibly understand what to look for in our cannabis if there are so many terpenes? Answer: A chart.

What is a Cannabis Terpene Chart?

A terpene chart is simply a categorization of terpenes by whatever characteristics you want to judge them by. In other words, if you want to know which of them have the best fragrance, simply look for that on the internet. But we’re interested in what terpenes mean to you as a cannabis consumer, so let’s look at the things that are important to you. Because you’re probably interested only in cannabis strains, our chart deals with those only. Don’t be too concerned about charts with terpenes that you will likely not consume — fortunately, those charts are not common.

Cannabis Terpenes Effects

Of course, the first concern is how the terpene will make you feel. If you want terpenes that enhance relaxation, choose the ones with lots of myrcene and linalool. If you want some energy, try the ones with limonene. Simple, right? Well, maybe. Let’s move on.

Cannabis Terpenes Taste

This is important because you don’t want a gummy that tastes like hops if you don’t like beer! So if you need something with myrcene, which is prevalent in hops, you might choose to smoke or vape it. So your chart should contain the things that derive flavor and fragrance from the terpene. For instance, limonene is common in citrus so that should be in your chart.

Temperature

You need to know the vaporization temperatures of your cannabis terpenes so you can make a delivery method decision or set the temperature of your vape correctly. 

Types of Charts

Are you a visual person? You will probably want a chart with clear sections and pretty colors. Those are probably the easiest for most of us and you will likely find those first with a good internet search. Some of us are not that visual, though, and prefer reading text. You can find those as well, and they often have space for better explanations of primary and secondary terpenes as well as room for lists of strains. But what if you could combine those two kinds of charts into one? We did. You’re welcome.

Cannabis Terpenes Chart

This chart will help you navigate the complex world of cannabis terpenes with both color categorization and text-based information. It will cover the ten most prominent terpenes in your cannabis and help you choose your strains. First, decide what effect you want, which is color-coded top to bottom from more energy to less energy. Then explore the explanations and clarifications, make your choice, go shopping, then enjoy!  

Wrapping it Up

So now you should have a list of terpenes to look for next time you visit a dispensary or shop online.   Enjoy your choices and as always, after imbibing stay in place and stay safe.   Unveiling the Secrets of Terpenes
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