What Do Terpenes Do For Your High?

What do terpenes do for your high? The unique ratio of terpenes produced by different cannabis cultivars plays a HUGE role in the overall experience. Learn more!

Terpenes are organic hydrocarbons produced by most plants. You’ll find terpenes in the essential oils of fruits, spices, herbs, flowers, trees, and more. These compounds are essentially the building blocks of aroma and flavor, and many of your favorite scents probably wouldn’t exist without them. That includes the aroma, flavor, and some of the effects of cannabis.

Yes, the cannabis plant produces a LOT of terpenes, and different cultivars produce unique ratios of terpene isolates. This unique ratio of terpenes is known as a terpene profile and when it comes to the cannabis experience, these different profiles are VERY important.

Read on and learn precisely what terpenes do for your high and why it matters for both consumers and cannabis manufacturers.

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Do Terpenes Get You High?

Let’s get this one out of the way. No, terpenes do not get you high. 

Terpenes don’t have psychoactive properties and they don’t contain THC or any other psychoactive compounds. Even the terpenes that have been extracted from cannabis won’t get you high on their own. 

However, terpenes CAN promote certain sensorial effects. For example, if you’ve ever noticed that the scent of lavender is particularly relaxing, that’s because lavender has a lot of the terpene Linalool. That terpene isolate has sedative effects which contribute to the sense of calm and peace people associate with that plant. 

Each terpene has its own unique list of properties that interact with US and promote various sensorial effects. D-Limonene is found in many citrus fruits and is known to promote mood elevation. Pinene, found in pine trees, is mentally invigorating. The list goes on and on, but suffice it to say that terpenes do some pretty amazing things…they just don’t get you high.

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Do Terpenes Enhance Your High?

While terpenes don’t contribute to the psychoactive effects of cannabis, they do dictate the specific effects that different cultivars promote. 

Think of it this way. The point of an airplane is to help you travel to a specific destination. Psychoactive compounds like THC help you get in the air (aka they get you high), but it’s terpenes that send you in a specific direction (aka they create a specific experience). 

That’s why different cultivars can have such drastically different effects. Durban Poison, for example, provides cerebral stimulation and energy thanks to its high amount of terpinolene. On the other hand, a cultivar like GG4 is very calming and relaxing due to its high quantities of beta-Caryophyllene. 

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Terpenes and the Entourage Effect

Essentially, the Entourage Effect is a phenomenon that describes the synergistic relationship between cannabinoids and other plant compounds (terpenes, terpenoids, etc.). When these compounds are used together, they can produce different and/or stronger effects than they could produce on their own. This is part of the reason terpenes influence your high.

It helps to remember that people have been utilizing the effects of terpenes for centuries with things like aromatherapy. You can find the same terpene isolates in both cannabis and botanical sources, but the effects may be drastically different. That’s because combining terpenes and cannabis creates an entirely different effect than you would ever experience from those compounds on their own.

A good way to think of this relationship is by imagining a vehicle. We know, yet another transportation metaphor. Bear with us.

Imagine you’re behind the wheel of a car. Depending on which direction you turn the wheel, you’ll start moving towards different destinations (or effects). Now imagine that you just barely press the gas pedal. If the gas pedal is a psychoactive cannabinoid, then the harder you press the pedal (or the more cannabinoids you add), the faster you’ll reach the destination…and the wilder the ride will be. 

For consumers, this information is essential when shopping for cannabis products with specific effects. Simply asking for products that are indica or sativa (terms that are often misused) can result in taking products home that don’t give you the effects you’re looking for. Asking for products with specific terpene profiles, however, is a much more effective shopping method.

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Giving Function to Flavor with the Entourage Series

Obviously, we’re pretty nerdy for cannabis science. One of the coolest things about it, however, is that it’s opened so many doors for a variety of industries. Basically, the knowledge we’re gaining from studying cannabis compounds can be used to enhance both cannabis and non-cannabis products. That was the inspiration behind our Entourage Series. 

Each of the blends in this series has just as many terpenes as our Premium Strain Profiles. That means non-cannabis products can reap the benefits of the Entourage Effect without traditional cannabis flavors. That means your customers can experience the effects of cannabis in fun flavors like Mojito and Pumpkin Pie.

Interested in infusing your products with our terpenes? Contact us and let’s get started today.

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