Terpenes are the most basic of essential oils, some of the building blocks of familiar scents like lemon, lavender and pine. These natural, aromatic hydrocarbons are produced by an array of living organisms such as plants (including cannabis); humans, mammals & other animals; insects; reptiles; fungi; algae and bacteria. Like pheromones and hormones, terpenes are produced for communicative purposes; attracting or repelling pests, pollinators and predatory insects or herbivores, as well as, influencing symbiotic relationships between different organisms, soil and plant pH levels and much more.

 

When consumed, terpenes stimulate our Olfactory Nerve, these senses are attributed to by our memories. Aromatic molecules come in and bind with our brain, training our memories to identify the scent, giving us the ability to determine one familiar scent from another. Our individual memory of these molecules help us to determine food likes/dislike, flavour profile differences such as a lemon vs an orange, as well as, influence our overall enjoyment of an experience or even warn us of possible dangers.

 

Incorporating terpenes into your life with or without the use of cannabis can help provide therapeutic benefits through aromatherapy, in food and beverage or even in personal hygiene products like soaps to achieve your desired experience.

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We come into contact with thousands of terpenes daily, from walking outside to eating at your favorite restaurant- influencing us everyday, thanks to biological instinct and our developed memory of these compounds. Aroma and our Olfactory senses have played a major roll in our survival as humans and likely contributed to evolutionary biological changes that have helped define us as the species we are. 

 

Through Olfactory Stimulation terpenes can also influence physiological responses in humans such as racing heart, sweating, calmed, relaxed, uplifted, focused, etcetera; although not everyone will experience these the same. Each of our own unique chemistry and experiences can influence how we perceive and interact with the molecules we come into contact with. Olfaction is possibly the most important way we interact with the environment contributing to our bodies physiological responses and likely responsible for 75% gustation, or our sense of taste. Less intensely than the Olfactory Nerve is stimulated, about 70% of odor molecules also stimulate the Trigeminal Nerve, giving us a more in-depth ability to determine dangers and pleasures through chemosensory stimulation from these molecules.

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Terpenes are shown to drive the effects of cannabis by modulating the cannabinoids at the blood brain barrier. The affects felt are further determined by our individual chemical, physiological and psychological responses to the cannabinoids and aroma compounds, which can be influenced by our personal experiences, memories, perception, diet, metabolism, physique, medications, health, age and lifestyle.

 

Targeted ratios of cannabinoids and terpenes play a major role in the therapeutic properties of cannabis use but ultimately our bodies' chemistry in conjunction with the chemistry of the cannabinoids and terpenes will determine affect and can vary from one experience to the next, even within the same individual. Varying experiences is especially true with oral cannabis consumption due to the metabolization processes and other factors. 

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Terpenes are divided into monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, tetraterpenes, polyterpenes, etc. which is determined by their molecular structures and weight, also determining their volatility, boiling points and functions. There is no difference between a limonene molecule from one plant to the next or another terpene molecule, such as myrcene, from one plant to the next. Terpene molecules themselves are built of isoprene, a hydrocarbon of 5 carbon atoms bound to 8 hydrogen atoms. This means monoterpenes (mono in this case meaning two) are 10 carbon atoms and 16 hydrogen atoms, being made up of 2 isoprene units; sesquiterpenes are made of 3 isoprene units (15 carbon atoms bound to 24 hydrogen atoms); diterpenes are made of 4 isoprene units (20 carbon atoms and 32 hydrogen atoms); triterpenes are 6 isoprene units (30 carbon atoms and 48 hydrogen atoms); tetraterpenes are 8 isoprene units (40 carbon atoms and 54 hydrogen atoms), while polyterpenes (rubber) are built of 1000-5000 isoprene units.

 

The viscosity and volatility of terpenes, or their consistency and rate of evaporation can be presumed by the number of isoprene units contained. Monoterpenes evaporate at lower temperatures with thinner viscosity than the larger and heavier sesquiterpenes or triterpenes with thicker viscosity. This is something to take into consideration when applying heat to food or products that contain terpenes. Terpene molecules are volatile and at varying temperatures evaporate or induce a conversion into another molecular structure causing change in molecular weight, consistency, aroma, effects, etc.

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