More Than Flavor And Aroma

Photo by Ganjatographer
By Nikki Walls
IG: @ms.majorblazer
What is the first thing you do before you enjoy your Kush? You inhale its beautiful complex aromas and appreciate the different mixtures that give the trichomes their distinct flavors. Skilled breeders can isolate and enhance different terpenes to produce new bold flavor combinations. Terpenes are the molecules for aroma that happen to be present in the essential oils of plants. Most of these essential oils are widely-used in aromatherapy simply because they are found to modulate brain operations and state of mind.
Terpenes affect more than just the flavor of cannabis, however. As we are beginning to better understand the effects of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, it is becoming evident that terpenes may play a larger role in the cannabis high than was previously known. There seems to be a synergistic effect between some terpenes and some cannabinoids. These compounds interact with your brain’s neurotransmitters and cannabinoid receptors, which can bring relief to a wide array of effects including managing inflammation, insomnia, and pain relief.
Terpenes can also modify how much of each cannabinoid is absorbed. This means the presence of certain terpenes can increase or decrease the amount of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC that is absorbed, effectively controlling the potency. Undoubtedly, these natural compounds will become even more important in medicinal cannabis treatment as more scientific research is done about their beneficial effects.