Why the Terpenes in your Cannabis Matters

Hey bud, hope you are well! In this blog we wanted to dive into one of the most important aspects of cannabis, terpenes. While we talk about these essential molecules regularly, we have yet to truly dive into the topic. Terpenes are essential to the effects you receive when you consume cannabis, but why? What do terpenes do?

High CBD Grapefruit Hemp Flower

Best Buds is big on terpene forward hemp flower, or the cannabis strains with the highest terpene percentage, and for a good reason! Terpenes are the reason why although CBD will not get you high, smoking CBD flowers or CBD Vapes can indeed change your mindset, alter your mood, and shift your perception as you see fit, without getting you stoned. Terpenes shape the effects of cannabis.

In this blog we are going to dive into the topic of terpenes and why the terpenes in your cannabis matter just as much as cannabinoid percentage.

What are Terpenes? What are terpenes used for?

Terpenes are the phytonutrients in plants and vegetables that give them their “experiential” attributes if you will; think smells and tastes. Terpenes are what influence these parts of plants and vegetables, and that’s no different in cannabis!

Terpenes are also the phytonutrients that effect the experience you receive when you consume cannabis. Terpenes absolutely do change from strain to strain or between different products like vapes and they absolutely do shift the effects you receive from cannabis. Different terpenes create different cannabis consumption experiences.

Terpenes occur naturally in plants and vegetables (like cannabis) and are also regularly extracted from plants and cannabis and added back into cannabis products like vapes, gummies or oils to flavor the products as well as influence the effects of the products.

For example, even Best Buds Oils have added terpenes to shape the experience and the effects you receive when consuming our products.

Do Terpenes get you high?

Alone, no. Terpenes do not get you high.

Think about cannabinoids and terpenes as a doorway to a different perception. Cannabinoids are the key to opening the effects, where as terpenes provide the experience or effects you receive from the cannabinoids.

While terps do not get you high, neither does CBD. However, high terpene CBD flower most certainly will shift your perception after consumption. While you won’t be high, you will feel some way because of the cannabinoids and the terpenes. 

What do terpenes do?

You know when you smell a lemon and it makes you more alert and awake? Or when you use lavender lotion and it makes you more relaxed? That’s because of terpenes.

You know how some cannabis makes your sleepy, but some cannabis makes you ready to work? That’s because of terpenes.

Ever heard of indicas and sativas? These 2 “classes” are largely due to the different types of terpenes that form in cannabis and the effects they provide.

Terpenes influence the effects of the cannabis you consume largely. Terpenes can create different experiences in cannabis consumption like more relaxed or more energized effects. There are 3 terpenes we want to dive into in this blog as we think it will help shape the conversation and better summarize the information. Let’s talk about Myrcene, Limonene and Caryophyllene. **Being that we are a cannabis company we can not use medical terms in our literature and as such the information about these terps is up for you interpretation.**

What are the effects of Myrcene?

Myrcene is known as a resting time terpene. Myrcene is great for unwinding, relaxing and you guessed it, getting to bed. Myrcene is one of the more sedating terpenes found in nature as well as cannabis.

Myrcene is also good for calming the mind and assists with physical discomforts. If you are looking for relaxing mind and body effects, you should be leaning towards myrcene terpene profiles in your cannabis.

Myrcene is regularly found in high concentrations in cannabis, lemongrass, hopes, mangoes and thyme.

What are the effects of Caryophyllene?

Caryophyllene has many of the same properties of Myrcene, however, is not known to be sedating. If relaxing, laid back and peaceful effects are what your looking for in your cannabis strains, look for strains with high levels of Caryophyllene.

Caryophyllene is found in high concentrations in cannabis, cloves, and black pepper meaning that cannabis strains with high concentrations of this terpene will be “spicy.”

What are the effects of Limonene?

Limonene is the terpene responsible for uplifting and energizing cannabis strains, think sativas. This terpene makes for great daytime strains with uplifting mood and energy attributes along with many of the same benefits for mental stress.

This terpene is commonly found in lemons, hints the name, as well as a variety of cannabis strains.

What is a good percentage of terpenes?

In flower, we look for a natural terpene concentration of around or over 2%. Around the 2% terpene mark is where you really start to see some crazy strong smells and super defined characteristics in the tastes during your consumption experience. In some truly unique cases, terpenes can even exceed levels of 3-4%! Now, were talking EXOTICS.

Best Buds vapes are infused with 4% added terpenes to ensure a proper taste and effect for your vaping experience. We found 4% to be the perfect mark at which the flavor is not overwhelming but also not vaguely present, and the effects at 4% are more noticeable than say 2-3%.

Concluding on Terpenes

There are over 200 terpenes found in cannabis, so covering them would be a lot. The gist is, the more you know about terpenes the better cannabis consumption experiences you will have. Different cannabis strains or terpene blends in products can help shape your experience and receive a more beneficial time with cannabis. As you try different vapes, flowers and oils take note of the flavors you notice and the effects you received. Over time, you will notice that you can get more of what your looking for out of using cannabis products that align with the terpenes that work for you!

Thanks for following along with us, we hope you learned something new! If you like this type of content be sure to check out our CBD and Hemp Education blog where we dive into a ton of different cannabis topics!