By Samantha Cole
If you have ever walked into any dispensary, chances are you were hit with a wall of smell. We hear it every day: “It smells great in here!” Well, that is the terpenes you are smelling that naturally come from the plant. There are at least 20,000 different terpenes that have been discovered. Those different terpenes come with their own medicinal benefits. Terpenes also come from many different plants and not just cannabis – although cannabis plants contain high concentrations of them.
So, what exactly are terpenes? They are highly aromatic compounds that determine the smell of many plants and herbs. These compounds can be isolated to create flavors and smells for everyday items you probably have at home right now.
They also play a vital role for the plants they originate from such as protecting the plant by giving off an aroma that repels insects and animals or attracting pollinators. Other examples of roles terpenes play are: Assisting in recovery for damaged plants or working with the plant’s immune system to fight off infectious germs.
When you are trying to decide on the strain right for you, it is important to look at the terpene profiles. If you need help with sleep you may look for a strain with higher levels of caryophyllene, myrcene, or linalool. Maybe you need something to help with inflammation check out pinene, myrcene, or humulene.
If you were to smell a few strains of cannabis you should be able to smell the difference. Those different smells are the different terpenes.
- Sweet – geraniol, terpineol, and pinene
- Musk – myrcene
- Wood – humulene, ocimene and terpinolene
And the list goes on.
If you want to learn a little more about terpenes, stop by Trinity Pharms and see one of our staff members.