Hello everyone! It's been an incredibly exciting week for me here as I've had the opportunity to spend time at a dispensary local to me, where I've had some amazing conversations with clients as well as bud-tenders. I've learned a lot in this short week there and look forward to going back next week for a couple of days again. In the future, I'm planning a couple of posts that will give a glimpse of what a person would need to know before going to the dispensary and outline what kind of information you learn by physically going to a dispensary.
In the last post I briefly highlighted the 3 major components of cannabis; cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Within these 3 categories there are many individual cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids that we're going to go over as time goes on but with this post, I'm going to focus on terpenes. Some of the questions I hope to help you answer are: What really are terpenes and what do they actually tell us? Will understanding what terpenes do, help a person get a more targeted/focused cannabis medicine? How can terpenes make better medicine in the future?
Cannabis terpenes are aromatic molecules produced by the cannabis plant that give it its characteristic smell and taste. Terpenes aren't specific to cannabis only, in fact we can rely on some research completed on terpenes in other plants and fruits (like mangos and thyme1), to know how terpenes might behave when consumed from the cannabis plant. Terpenes play a significant role in the effects that cannabis has on the body and mind. There are over 200 different terpenes found in cannabis, and each one has its unique profile of effects2. There is some research that can be found describing the effects of individual terpenes, but we don't know far more than we do know about specific terpenes and what they do. They can interact with the body in a variety of ways and have been found to provide a range of therapeutic benefits. Research is actively being done on terpenes to determine how they interact with medicines and the effect they have on the endocannabinoid system.
One of the most significant ways in which cannabis terpenes can affect the body is through their interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a complex network of receptors and signalling molecules that I'll make another post to cover in the future, but in short it helps to regulate many physiological processes, including pain perception, mood, appetite, and immune function. Terpenes can modulate or influence the activity of the ECS, which can lead to a range of effects, such as reducing inflammation, promoting relaxation, and improving mood. Terpenes are an integral piece of the puzzle that is cannabis as a medication.
In addition to their effects on the ECS, cannabis terpenes also have other therapeutic properties. For example, some terpenes are currently being researched for their potential antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral properties. Others may help to alleviate anxiety and depression, reduce pain and inflammation, and even have neuroprotective effects. These properties make cannabis terpenes a valuable tool in the treatment of a range of conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and neurological disorders. Because there is currently data that suggests the positive use of terpenes as medicine, the research into terpenes is ongoing. I'm excited to see what kind of information we learn in the future about how to effectively dose out terpenes.
As we continue to find out more information about how the individual terpenes work on and with our bodies as well as what specific symptoms the terpene might help out with, I believe it's going to change the way medical cannabis consumers choose their cannabis at the dispensary. How awesome would it be if the medical cannabis consumer could walk into the dispensary with a specific symptom and walk out with a product that is specifically targeted by that cannabis isolate? While browsing other social media the other day I came across a picture that showed a vape cartridge with slots for different cannabis concentrates and the caption on the picture detailed the different isolates and how the patient could "dial in" their dose for the day. If a person was looking for something that gives them energy (limonene), but also can take care of pain (myrcene) as well increase their appetite (humulene) and could actually purchase those exact terpenes to consume, it's tailor made medicine at the customer level 🤯
To sum everything up, there is still so much to learn about cannabis terpenes, but the future potential to have an entirely personalised cannabis medicine is incredibly exciting! While there are over 200 different terpenes that can be found in cannabis, only about 30 of them are found in significant amounts to affect the body (who knows what we'll learn in the future though!). The information that we do know is quite exciting though. The image included in this post is from the Cannigma website (side note it's a great resource for learning about cannabis) that gives the reader a quick glance at how terpenes could potentially help with different symptoms or situations with their healthcare. Thank you so much for reading and if you have any questions or comments please leave them below and let's chat about! Have a great week!
Sources
1. Terpenes in food: Can you add terps into your meals? (no date) Finest Labs. Available at: https://finestlabs.com/terpenes-in-food/ (Accessed: March 23, 2023).
2. Backes, M., Weil, A. and McCue, J.D. (2017) Cannabis Pharmacy: The practical guide to medical marijuana. New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.
3. Weil, M. (2022) Most common cannabis terpenes and what they do, The Cannigma. Available at: https://cannigma.com/plant/a-brief-history-of-terpenes/ (Accessed: March 22, 2023).
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