WHAT ARE TERPENES?

WHAT ARE TERPENES?

Terpenes are the largest group of plant compounds. They naturally occur in Spanish sage, citrus fruit, cannabis, and many other plants. They add to the full entourage effect of cannabis and CBD, and this article expounds more on this and related topics.

Being a CBD fan, you have heard about terpenes, which are the largest group of plant compounds. They come to mind when talking about full entourage effects in cannabis and its derivatives like full-spectrum CBD, but it is worth noting that they are not only found in cannabis. Terpenes are present in almost all plants, the Spanish sage, citrus fruits, and tea having the most abundant terpene levels. Studies show that terpenes have many health benefits since they are anticancer, antiplasmodial, and anti-inflammatory, but more research is needed to prove these claims true. This article looks at CBD, how it relates to terpenes and the terpene benefits. First thing, let’s define terpenes.

WHAT ARE TERPENES?

Terpenes come to mind a lot if you are a CBD fan. That’s ok, but you must know that there is more to terpenes than CBD. According to Cox-Georgian et al. (2019), terpenes are the most diversified group of plant compounds. They are numerous and are grouped based on the number of terpene units they have and how the molecules they boast. Consequently, there are many types of terpenes, as Cox-Georgian et al. (2019) noted. They fall under mono, di, tri, tetra, or sesquiterpenes and are beneficial regardless of the class. Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds in plants, so they are sourced from plants. Almost every plant you can think about features terpenes, but citrus fruits like lemon, lime, orange, and mandarin, tea, Spanish sage, and cannabis boast the highest terpene contents.

DO TERPENES MAKE YOU HIGH?

According to Schlienz et al. (2018), THC, a compound in cannabis plants, is responsible for the high effect one feels after smoking weed. Since terpenes are a part of CBD products that many take today, you may want to know if the former has the high effect of smoking weed. Currently, we cannot say for sure if you will get high from terpenes since there is insufficient research on the same. So far, so good, people enjoy terpene benefits in cannabis products and other plants that boast them.

WHAT IS CBD?

People talk about CBD a lot, and word of the street has it that sooner or later, it might be the most sought product. This leads to the big question, what is CBD, and why do many people relate to it? According to Mascal et al. (2019), CBD is the non-psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis plants but is mostly extracted from hemp. Hemp-extracted CBD has less than 0.3% THC to be federally legal per the 2018 Farm Bill. You can easily find CBD today, whether you fancy online shopping or do not mind walking from one store to another to get your favorite CBD product.

CBD AND TERPENES

As stated at the outset, you have heard terpenes mentioned in the CBD context or have seen it written on CBD products, and if you have not noticed this, you will soon. How does CBD relate to terpenes since the two are often mentioned together? You must realize that there are three types or formulations in which you can enjoy the cannabinoid. You can opt for isolate CBD, the purest form of CBD without THC or additional compounds. Then is full- and broad-spectrum CBD, which has additional compounds from the cannabis plants, including terpenes. According to VanDolah et al. (2019), hemp oil has a synergy called the full entourage effect from the many compounds it features. Terpenes are one of the many compounds in full- and broad-spectrum CBD, and you can go for it to enjoy terpenes. Still, more research is needed to prove that CBD indeed has some full entourage effect.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TERPENES

Whether you want to go for CBD to enjoy terpene benefits or will eat fruits and vegetables to explore the terpenes in them, you must know the health benefits or if they are unworthy of your hard-earned cash. And yes, studies show that terpenes are great for your health. For instance, according to Wang et al. (2020), terpenes have powerful medicinal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Besides, Cox-Georgian et al. (2019) found terpenes useful for their powerful anticancer, antiplasmodial, and antiviral properties. Gershenzon (2007) also reported that terpenes have many health benefits. The study recorded that these compounds protect the body against stresses, whether from biotic or abiotic factors. Still, we cannot recommend terpenes for treating or curing a health challenge since more studies are needed to prove this.

CBD PROS AND CONS

Since CBD is growing fast and it seems like you can easily find its products, you must know their pros and cons before spending your cash on them. The best thing about CBD is that it is widely available, and you can find it online and in-store in the many forms and products in which it comes. Secondly, many people tolerate CBD when dosed correctly, and there are currently no records of CBD causing grievous effects. Still, you must know that the CBD world is largely unregulated, making it easy to land low-quality products with contaminants. Besides, the FDA does not recognize CBD as a medication and does not recommend how one should take it.

HOW TO ENJOY TERPENES

Are you in the mood to explore terpene benefits? You should know what products to focus on. Of course, terpenes are naturally occurring compounds in plants and abundant therein. Thus, the best way to enjoy terpenes’ health benefits is to go to plants, fruits, and veggies they abound in. Still, you can go for CBD products to enjoy terpenes, although they may not be as abundant in CBD as in plants. If you choose CBD products to realize terpene benefits, focus on full- and broad-spectrum formulations; isolate CBD has no extra compounds, including terpenes. You can try many CBD products, from CBD oils & tinctures, vapes, topicals, capsules, and edibles.

CONCLUSION

Terpenes are the largest group of plant compounds. They are grouped according to their terpene units and how the molecules are arranged. Almost every plant has terpenes, but the Spanish sage, cannabis, and tea have the highest terpene levels. Terpenes are good for health, and studies show that they fight inflammation, cancer, antioxidants, and plasmodial attack. You can benefit from terpenes by taking fruits and veggies with these compounds, but exploring CBD products also helps you enjoy terpenes for what they offer.

REFERENCES

Cox-Georgian, D., Ramadoss, N., Dona, C., & Basu, C. (2019). Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses of Terpenes. Medicinal Plants: From Farm to Pharmacy, 333–359.

Gershenzon J. The function of terpene natural products in the natural world. Nat Chem Biol. 2007;3(7):408–414. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.2007.5

Mascal, M., Hafezi, N., Wang, D., Hu, Y., Serra, G., Dallas, M. L., & Spencer, J. P. (2019). Synthetic, non-intoxicating 8, 9-dihydrocannabidiol for the mitigation of seizures. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-6.

Schlienz, N. J., Lee, D. C., Stitzer, M. L., & Vandrey, R. (2018). The effect of high-dose dronabinol (oral THC) maintenance on cannabis self-administration. Drug and alcohol dependence, 187, 254-260.

VanDolah, H. J., Bauer, B. A., & Mauck, K. F. (2019, September). Clinicians’ guide to cannabidiol and hemp oils. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 94, No. 9, pp. 1840-1851). Elsevier.

Wang, B., Kovalchuk, A., Li, D., Ilnytskyy, Y., Kovalchuk, I., & Kovalchuk, O. (2020). In search of preventative strategies: novel anti-inflammatory high-CBD cannabis sativa extracts modulate ACE2 expression in COVID-19 gateway tissues.

Barbara Santini

Barbara is a freelance writer and a sex and relationships adviser at Dimepiece LA and Peaches and Screams. Barbara is involved in various educational initiatives aimed at making sex advice more accessible to everyone and breaking stigmas around sex across various cultural communities. In her spare time, Barbara enjoys trawling through vintage markets in Brick Lane, exploring new places, painting and reading.

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