
CANNABINOIDS COME FROM TERPENES
In simple terms, the progression of the resin on a cannabis plant takes the form of
a terpene and matures into a cannabinoid (if that’s the direction of the plant chemistry, ecology)
TERPENOIDS
The typical scent of Cannabis results from about 140 different terpenoids. Isoprene units
(C5H8) form monoterpenoids (C10 skeleton), sesquiterpenoids (C15), diterpenoids
(C20), and triterpenoids (C30). Terpenoids may be acyclic, monocyclic, or polycyclic
hydrocarbons with substitution patterns including alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones,
and esters. The essential oil (volatile oil) can easily be obtained by steam distillation or
vaporization. The yield depends on the Cannabis type (drug, fiber) and pollination; sex,
age, and part of the plant; cultivation (indoor, outdoor etc.); harvest time and conditions;
drying; and storage.
REMEMBER: Your body contains far more receptors for smells (at least 1,000) than
it does for other senses, like sight (four) and touch (at least four).3 What this means
is you can discern between many different types of smells, even those you may not
have the words to describe.
REMEMBER: Odor-Evoked Autobiographical Memory - phenomenon that
relates to the human relatable phenomenon where a scent has the ability to
“take you back instantly to a memory”. Smells get routed through your olfactory
bulb, the smell-analyzing region in your brain that’s closely connected to your
amygdala and hippocampus, brain regions that handle memory and emotion.
REMEMBER: Check yourself for Zinc deficiency (Zinc, an essential trace
mineral, is required to produce an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase (CA) VI,
critical to taste and smell, which is why loss of sense of smell is one of the classic
signs of chronic zinc deficiency)
How to learn the language of AROMATICS…..
Exercise:
Research shows that the more you exercise, the less likely you are to develop
problems with smelling as you age. Exercising even one time a week was found to
reduce the risk of losing your sense of smell
Become Scent Conscious:
Make a point to smell your food before you eat it, and notice the scent of flowers, cut
grass or even rain. Doing this regularly will help increase your sense of smell.
Try “TERPENE THERAPY”:
Choose three or four different scents, such as floral, fruity, and coffee. Sniff them
four to six times a day, which will help the different receptors in your nose to work
Using your nose allows you to bypass the man-made “Indica vs Sativa” non-sense that gets thrown around and allows you to have a direct understanding of what each plant is bringing in terms of experience, health, and partnership.
Learning a basic amount of “scents” that are common to cannabis, you can begin to learn what cultivars have in terms of properties and how those properties interact with your body, mind, and spirit.
TERPENES work in tangent with CANNABINOIDS to create what’s referred
to as “THE ENSEMBLE EFFECT”.
The aromatic language that speaks to our bodies through our nose, also speaks to the many
endogenous systems found within the human body.
Terpenes have been found to “modulate” the receptors where cannabinoids are absorbed,
creating an attenuated effect on the endogenoussystem in which the receptor is located in
association.
This is referred to loosely as “Ensemble Effect” or sometimes Entourage Effect - some call it “Bag Medicine” due to the habit of smelling a bag ofcannabis before consuming it - giving terpenes anopportunity to modulate our systems.
The ensemble effect is why some cultivars of cannabis arefound to have vastly different effects on the human psyche.
-
MYRCENE for instance has been found to enhance the potency of THC on the human psyche and the euphoriant nature of cannabis is attenuated withhaving myrcene present with active THC that can reachthe receptors found within the brain and brainstem.
The ensemble effect is also the reason why mangos can
enhance the euphoriant effect of THC while, black pepper
can dampen it.
MYRCENE IS CONSIDERED AN AGONIST
CARYOPHYLLENE IS CONSIDERED AN ANTAGONIST
AROMATICS AND ENSEMBLE FLUENCY IN CANNABIS
WHAT STRAIN DO I NEED?
-BECOMES
-WHAT SMELL AM I QUESTING?
-WHAT DO I WANT TO SMOKE?
-BECOMES WHAT IS MY NOSE LONGING FOR?
Visualize your body as though it is like a keyhole and that the “ensemble” of
smells, flavors, and active compounds found in various cultivars of cannabis
make up various versions of keys that may or may not fit your various keyholes
Visualize that your body is made up of innumerable keyholes and that the
ensemble of cannabis flavors, smells, and active compounds will likely have a therapeutic “fitting effect” on one or more keyholes, even if you consciously do not know which, or how.
The aromatic combinations found within the ensemble of the cannabis cultivars are generally passed on from parent to child in phenotypical expressions (variances) and the environmental influences that create a chemovar.
CHEMOVAR is the term that correlates to the specific plant, or plant material that is in front of your nose - the CULTIVAR is the term that correlates to the strain before it is grown and
exhibits growing influence that creates a CHEMOVAR
CHEMOVAR VS CULTIVAR is the exact reason why it will be very difficult for “Big Pharma” to create a “magic bullet” cannabis isolate that will have intellectual
property value to it. Cannabis chemovars are difficult to replicate, let alone isolate their beneficial sub-constituents Cannabis chemovars have differing effects on the subject,
based on the conditions of the subject and their state of consciousness.
Potency and the Language of AROMATICS
Contemporary market trends attempt to push over-simplified ideation of cannabis
understanding but people who learn the language of AROMATICS can push past oversimplified potency testing for THC and CBD and use Terpene Analytics to gain a better understanding of what the therapeutic effect will be, the potency, and duration of a particular chemovar they find in front of their nose. The challenge is that legislation is not forcing the marketplace to provide terpene analytics on products and so consumption becomes based on THC potency. This is, however, is changing.

Cannabis, a complex plant: different compounds and different effects on individuals
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736954/
Chemistry and Analysis of Phytocannabinoids and Other Cannabis Constituents
Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165946/
Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371325/
Evolution of the Cannabinoid and Terpene Content during the Growth of Cannabis sativa
Plants from Different Chemotypes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26836472
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