Terpenes, What You Should Look For in Your Flowers by NovaCann Labs

Terpenes offer us much more than an incredible aroma. They are also responsible for altering the psychoactive and therapeutic effects of each cannabis flower variety. Terpenes are often overlooked. We focus on THC content and don't consider the importance of terpenes, which are responsible for each flower's therapeutic potential. This is why we need to know how to identify which terpenes different strains contain and how they influence the psychoactive effects when making a purchase.

Terpenes are aromatic hydrocarbons. That is, they are the molecules responsible for the distinctive aromas and flavors of cannabis. Terpenes are present throughout the plant kingdom, contributing aromatic characteristics to herbs, fruits, and the cannabis flower. The cannabis plant is responsible for more than 100 of these aromatic substances. These are produced by the trichomes (the same glands that produce cannabinoids, including THC and CBD).

The relationship between terpenes and cannabinoids is inversely proportional. Both are chemical compounds present in the cannabis plant and contribute to its unique characteristics. THC and CBD are the best-known and most studied cannabinoids in cannabis due to their psychoactive and therapeutic effects. These cannabinoids are synthesized in the resin glands of the trichomes, which are the small structures found on the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant.

This inverse relationship between terpenes and cannabinoids means that when terpene content is high, cannabinoid levels are typically lower, and vice versa. This is because the biosynthetic pathways that produce terpenes and cannabinoids compete with each other for the same chemical precursors in the cannabis plant.

We must keep in mind that both terpenes and cannabinoids contribute independently and together to the effects and benefits of cannabis. Terpenes modulate the effects of cannabinoids through the "entourage effect," where it is thought that the synergistic interaction between terpenes and cannabinoids can influence the experience and therapeutic effects of cannabis.

In conclusion, terpenes and cannabinoids in cannabis have an inversely proportional relationship, meaning that high levels of terpenes are associated with lower levels of cannabinoids, and vice versa. Both compounds play an important role in the characteristics and effects of cannabis, and their interaction influences the experience of using medicinal cannabis.

RAFAEL BALLESTER

Quality Director

NOVACANN LABS