What Are Cannabis Terpenes and What Do They Do?

Updated 4/30/18

There’s something about the aroma of cannabis that soothes the mind and body. Whether it’s the sweet fruity taste of Pineapple Trainwreck or that skunky smell that bursts from a cracked bud of Sour Diesel, we know there’s something going on under their complex and flavorful bouquets.

Terpenes are what you smell, and knowing what they are will deepen your appreciation of cannabis whether you’re a medical patient or recreational consumer.

What Are Cannabis Terpenes?

Secreted in the same glands that produce cannabinoids like THC and CBD, terpenes are aromatic oils that color cannabis varieties with distinctive flavors like citrus, berry, mint, and pine.

Terpenes play a key role in differentiating the effects of various cannabis strains. Some terpenes promote relaxation and stress-relief, while others promote focus and acuity.

Not unlike other strong-smelling plants and flowers, the development of terpenes in cannabis began for adaptive purposes: to repel predators and lure pollinators. There are many factors that influence a plant’s development of terpenes, including climate, weather, age and maturation, fertilizers, soil type, and even the time of day.

Over 100 different terpenes have been identified in the cannabis plant, and every strain tends toward a unique terpene type and composition. In other words, a strain like Cheese and its descendants will likely have a discernible cheese-like smell, and Blueberry offspring often inherit the smell of berries.

The diverse palate of cannabis flavors is impressive enough, but arguably the most fascinating characteristic of terpenes is their ability to interact synergistically with other compounds in the plant, like cannabinoids. In the past few decades, most cannabis varieties have been bred to contain high levels of THC, and as a result, other cannabinoids like CBD have fallen to just trace amounts. This has led many to believe that terpenes play a key role in differentiating the effects of various cannabis strains.

Each individual terpene is associated with unique effects. Some promote relaxation and stress-relief, while others promote focus and acuity. Linalool, for example, is believed to be relaxing whereas limonene elevates mood.

The effect profile of any given terpene may change in the presence of other compounds in a phenomenon known as the entourage effect. More research is needed to understand each terpene’s effect when used in harmony with others.

Their differences can be subtle, but terpenes can add great depth to the horticultural art and connoisseurship of cannabis. Most importantly, terpenes may offer additional medical value as they mediate our body’s interaction with therapeutic cannabinoids.

Many cannabis analysis labs now test terpene content, so you may have a better idea of what effects a strain might produce. With their unlimited combinations of synergistic effects, terpenes will certainly open up new scientific and medical terrains for cannabis research.

Most Common Cannabis Terpenes

terpene weed chart — Click to enlarge. (Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)

Alpha-Pinene

weed terpene pinene — Click to enlarge. (Elysse Feigenblatt)

Aroma: Pine

Vaporizes At: 311ºF (155ºC)

Potential Effects: Alertness, memory retention, counteracts some THC effects

Potential Medical Value: Treatment of asthma, pain, inflammation, ulcers, anxiety, cancer

Also Found in: Pine needles, rosemary, basil, parsley, dill

Myrcene

Aroma: Cardamom, cloves, musky, earthy, herbal

Vaporizes At: 332ºF (167ºC)

Potential Effects: Sedating “couchlock” effect, relaxing

Potential Medical Value: Antioxidant; treatment of insomnia, pain, and inflammation

Also Found in: Mango, lemongrass, thyme, hops

Limonene

Aroma: Citrus

Vaporizes At: 348ºF (176ºC)

Potential Effects: Elevated mood, stress relief

Potential Medical Value: Treatment of anxiety, depression, inflammation, pain, and cancer

Also Found in: Fruit rinds, rosemary, juniper, peppermint

Beta-Caryophyllene

weed terpene caryophyllene — Click to enlarge. (Elysse Feigenblatt)

Aroma: Pepper, spicy, woody, cloves

Vaporizes At: 266ºF (130ºC)

Potential Effects: Stress relief

Potential Medical Value: Treatment of pain, anxiety/depression, ulcers

Also Found in: Black pepper, cloves, cinnamon

Linalool

Aroma: Floral

Vaporizes At: 388ºF (198ºC)

Potential Effects: Mood enhancement, sedation

Potential Medical Value: Treatment of anxiety, depression, insomnia, pain, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disease

Also Found in: Lavender

Humulene

Aroma: Hops, woody, earthy

Vaporizes At: 222ºF (106ºC)

Potential Medical Value: Anti-inflammatory

Also Found in: Hops, coriander, cloves, basil

Ocimene

Aroma: Sweet, herbal, and woody

Vaporizes At: 122ºF (50ºC)

Potential Medical Value: Antiviral, anti-fungal, antiseptic, decongestant, antibacterial

Also Found in: Mint, parsley, pepper, basil, mangoes, orchids, and kumquats

Terpinolene

Aroma: Piney, floral, and herbal

Vaporizes At: 366ºF (186ºC)

Potential Effects: Relaxing

Potential Medical Value: Antioxidant, sedative, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-cancer

Also Found in: Nutmeg, tea tree, conifers, apples, cumin, and lilacs

terpenes

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More Resources on Terpenes

Cannabis 101 Infographic: What Are Cannabis Terpenes?

Cannabis 101 How to Customize Your Cannabis High With Temperature

Science & Tech The Future of Cannabis May Lie in Terpene Isolation

Cannabis 101 Why Low Temperatures Are So Important for Dabbing

Adrian Medina

I’ve recently quit smoking and switched to vaping as I know I’m wasting a lot of money burning up my thc. It is clear that vaping is healthier and more efficient and I can consume less and achieve the same high, however I recently got into using terepenes in my bud, like adding essential oils to my Vape or finding that special mango flavored weed.

I notice without the terpenes the high is less and crappy.

I notice with that I’m way more chill and less anxious.

However reading online and in this article don’t these terpenes do most of marijuanas job alone without the cannabinoids??

I know they won’t get rid of pain but it seems to do everything else THC and CBD can do. I will be doing my own experiments but I’m curious as to what anyone out there knows about this??

I know aromatherapy has been used for many years and is proven to work, and I’m first hand experience as soon as I open those essential oil bottles I have had lying around for months, it made me very chill. Accidentally had a drop on my finger and decided to eat it lol, bad idea it burned. Had some honey and that was fixed. Put some on my pillow, bed and recliner and my room smells so dank of lemons it’s very relaxing and makes it easy to breathe.

Also put it in my Vape (only use DISTILLED PURE essential oils as they contain no chemicals or lipids). It’s vaping amazing, tastes great and requires very few drops. 3-5 per 15 ml or so. As far if anyone’s wondering on the safety of this, it is, I’ve heard people doing it for over a year and no problems, no fires, no explosions, and definitely no health issues, in fact reports of better lungs and better quality of life.

Onwards to my real question tho

Can terpenes/aromatherapy be an effective alternative to Cannabis if I don’t want to use it for pain relief and just want the stress free happy feeling that can be made to put me to sleep? I mean it even says anti bacterial, anti fungal, and anti cancer. lol. I have all these terpenes available in my essential oil blends so I’m like I don’t need the pain relief as I’m ok and it won’t save me hundreds more than just switching to vaping, which saved me thousands no kidding.

I probably will continue using Marijuana for its medicinal benefits but now I’m learning that even limonene can give you a psychedelic trip, and we make our own cannabinoids so I’m left thinking. Wtf was weed for again?

Lol it’s not like I didn’t know there were alternatives, I just didn’t think it would be this easy, OR that I had it lying around in my house lmao. I bought these essential oils way back to make water topical that I can use, which is fail don’t do it. Tried in the Vape but put too much and the Vape e juice was garbage leftovers mixed together. So no don’t do that either. Altho it made crap into okay Vape.

Being that I knew there were alternatives I didn’t think of aromatherapy. I was thinking more on the lines of other herbs like valerian which I had no success with, it works to numb pain and put you to sleep but I was very anxious and irritated due to the crazy tripping it makes you do. Also tastes HORRIBLE. Tried vitamin supplements only to hurt my liver….. And then tried eating healthier only to learn fat and sugar and caffeine makes me relax lmao.

So I tried other things because weed was too expensive for me, but it was no where near the same. And I ain’t curing cancer with some b vitamins and valerian. Lol

So to learn all this from you guys and online is a shock there is alternatives.

Am I reading the article wrong tho? Are you saying these terpenes do this on its own or in conjunction with the cannabinoids from marijuana?

Sorry for the rant 😛
- Bailey Rahn
  
  Hey Adrian! So terpenes do offer medicinal attributes on their own, but studies have shown that they do work synergistically with cannabinoids. This is a fantastic read from Dr. Ethan Russo on cannabis terpenes, and I’m sure it will answer a lot of your questions if you haven’t seen this already: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165946/
  
  Cannabinoids, however, play a vital role in the therapeutic properties of cannabis — they’re capable of functions terpenes cannot possibly perform due to the system of receptors they bind to. If you haven’t read much on the endocannabinoid system (ECS) yet, I definitely recommend doing so. It’ll help you understand just how unique and beneficial cannabinoids can be, especially for patients with particular chemical deficiencies: https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/cannabinoids-101-what-makes-cannabis-medicine/
  
  But you’re totally right — cannabis products lacking terpenes aren’t the same at all! I’ve noticed this personally with concentrates that strip out almost everything but the THC. The two types of compounds work together in really incredible ways, and it’s so exciting to see new products and technologies coming out that harness the power of those synergies. 🙂
  - Adrian Medina
    
    Thanks Bailey! That was a good long in depth read with many sources lmao, so I feel secure that the knowledge I just gained was in fact truthful and well researched. Thanks for that. I will continue my experiment and vlog about it on YouTube, feel free to check out my YouTube, the channel is my name. I definitely won’t smoke anymore as I just smoked 2 grams of hash to the face and I feel nothing unfortunately but as soon as I hit the terpenes in my Vape I was uplifted and invigorated, much like they describe cannabis is supposed to do. It did have the same terpenes but not dank like my Vape lol.
  - waltinseattle
    
    thanks for ncbi, one favorite go to o many other maters. I still wiki for the cliffnote versions and links when doing intro or need a refresh on details.
    
    Are cannabis terpenoids actually relevant to the effects of cannabis? Terpenoid components in concentrations above 0.05% are considered of pharmacological interest (Adams and Taylor, 2010). Animal studies are certainly supportive (Buchbauer et al., 1993). Mice exposed to terpenoid odours inhaled from ambient air for 1 h demonstrated profound effects on activity levels, suggesting a direct pharmacological effect on the brain, even at extremely low serum concentrations (examples: linalool with 73% reduction in motility at 4.22 ng·mL−1, pinene 13.77% increase at trace concentration, terpineol 45% reduction at 4.7 ng·mL−1). These levels are comparable to those of THC measured in humans receiving cannabis extracts yielding therapeutic effects in pain, or symptoms of multiple sclerosis in various randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (Russo, 2006; Huestis, 2007). Positive effects at undetectable serum concentrations with orange terpenes (primarily limonene, 35.25% increase in mouse activity), could be explainable on the basis of rapid redistribution and concentration in lipophilic cerebral structures. A similar rationale pertains to human studies (Komori et al., 1995), subsequently discussed. Limonene is highly bioavailable with 70% human pulmonary uptake (Falk-Filipsson et al., 1993), and a figure of 60% for pinene with rapid metabolism or redistribution (Falk et al., 1990). Ingestion and percutaneous absorption is also well documented in humans (Jäger et al., 1992): 1500 mg of lavender EO with 24.7% linalool (total 372 mg) was massaged into the skin of a 60 kg man for 10 min, resulting in a peak plasma concentration of 100 ng·mL−1 at 19 min, and a half-life of 13.76 min in serum (Jäger et al., 1992). EO mixtures (including limonene and pinene) also increase permeation of estradiol through mouse skin (Monti et al., 2002).
- Jeannine Varner
  
  Adrian Madina………Which flavor made the room smell like lemons? Would an essn’t oil do the same?
  - Adrian Medina
    
    LOL yes that’s what I was trying to say maybe I was too vague but yes I put the essential straight onto the pillow and other areas of the room and it was very pungent and relaxing and put me to sleep with clear breathing. I use it inside my Vape a well with great success and I’m breathing easier. It’s also a great flavor. Not to mention its actual medicine in a Vape now other than marijuana lol. Not expecting to cure cancer here but it’s definitely a help.
    
    And I also must add I found out that these lemon scents can help with pain as well so idk it does it all -_- just might not be a good cancer cure like weed is. But I’m cancer free…I hope lol.
    - Tammie Jo Barber-wells
      
      Am I understanding you correctly. You use essential oils in your Vape? I have been using CBD oil in mine and wondered about essential oils.
      - Adrian Medina
        
        Yes
  - waltinseattle
    
    humans have very basic noses. smells like is hardly works like. of course there is some reason for the similarity. just not6 identical.however limonene i just read, and came back to correct myself is the most widely spread of these, the same as in…lemon. linalool is in cilantro…see baily’s ncbi link below!
  - Mark Skinner
    
    So what if it does…..getting relief from what ails you (even boredom) is what it’s all about.
  - waltinseattle
    
    lemonene os lemonene regardless the plant.
- waltinseattle
  
  terpenes and the long fatty acids that work to make the total experience do affect with no thc cbd, just moire subtly. I wish we could differentiate which neurons were targeted by various ones, and exactly what else was involved at that particular site. Yes, we make our own, thats the reason we are succeptable to the plant. and btw, we, and higher vertibrates like bovine class that was the discovery point… also make in our own cells… morphine and codine and 6-AM (a monoacetyl morpherne as opposed to the diacetlylmorphene/heroin to work in the same system that uses dynorphan etc. Anybody got a book on terpenoids in asteracea for instance? many medical effects there as pain, inflamation. I wonder if we wont get to a composite formulation once we learn more. my acupuncture herbal doc gave me peony for a bone med.
  - Mark Skinner
    
    In a short time, genetic sequencing will be used to sort out what dope is going to have these effects on these people…..and then we will also be able to accurately predict what is going to happen when you smoke this substance, how it will be different with a different strain…..what “they” will be able to indicate will be complete knowledge of our own body and what will happen and when.
    - waltinseattle
      
      not too short because even when we know the direct effect, we will be clueless to the mix of downstream consequences. Just as with genes, there are cascade effects. For instance if a terpene of other “minor compppound actson the receptor directly, sets it up to accept the canabinoid easier, or if iit affects another chemical that allows faster release fo canabinoids from our system, does a feedback to that generative chemistry, or act to block inflamatory sites quite coincidentally related to the canabinoid primary site. Remember these are cell wall sites, not synaptic cleffs.
      
      of special interest to me is that cbd makes bones mend faster, and stronger than before! so far the rabbit of rat only used, and in Israel. delivery to the break zone is a bit complicated in human use. Having several broke backs I am interested in repair. What signalling could be used to act as beacon tor the cbd, just like other wound chemicals are beacon le to infections , cut etc. As far as I have read the cbd route does not have the problem other hormonal growth interventives have.. growth/repaitr becomes malignancy. Its all the same except for the turn off now, enough whoa, stop already…instead of a simple stop.
- Mark Skinner
  
  Don’t apologise for providing detail. A great read….
Shawn D. Wagenseller

We have been testing our strains for terpenes for years and when we concentrate our cannabis, maintaining high terpene profiles are the goal. For example: WA Bud Co Sky Master has a whopping 27mg terp value with Limonene as the dominant terp in the flower. In the concentrate the value rockets to 52mg terps showing a-Pinene as the overwhelming dominant terp.
Our Blackberry shows a 19mg value in flower with Camphen as the dominant, yet in oil the Myrcene becomes dominant.
The high CBD Harlequin is the star in the flower room for aroma with a-Pinene as the2 dominant terp. We have yet to test the concentrate and I am so curious how that will test since it tastes amazing as a dab.
So much to learn about this amazing plant and how it effects people differently! I predict the market will eventually turn to terpene profiles vs just THC numbers as a major deciding factor into which bud to buy and enjoy. The high THC mania is rediculous when the conversation does not include termenes, IMHO.
- Annie
  
  That all sounds pretty damn amazing. And I agree with the high THC mania, I wonder when people will realize that high THC is NOT the most important factor. There really isn’t just one factor that makes cannabis so amazing, every element of the plant work together to create something that can never be truly synthesized or copied.
  - waltinseattle
    
    for years I felt I had to apologize/defend my enjoyment of low thc weed. Like I was a light weight. Soon proven wrong if you brought out some hash! Anyway. I liked the next dday feel of it just aws well as the rush from the night before and gone often lingered. I used pot for energy after a half day of miserable weather outdoor labor. Not energy like a stimulant as much as the loosening of the muscles and letting the lymph through to keep going sort of energy flow. then sleep like a baby and wake refreshed. I never understood the chistry, but I knew what my body told me.
- Farrell Timlake
  
  Glad someone out there “gets it” where terps are concerned. Terpenes can make all the difference in the way the cannibinoids bind to the receptors in the brain. THC is not the be all end all and if that becomes the only thing producers care about then we are going to end up with cannabis following the path of tomatoes, radishes, and melons to become tasteless and lacking nutritional and medicinal value. When someone recognizes that a “20% THC” strain was way more potent than that “39%” that is because he or she is experiencing the way the terpenes helped the cannibinoids.
  - jrogersp
    
    I am not a toner but I am researching cannibus as they are making it more and more difficult to get my pain meds. I really hate the side effects of opiates on my body as I get older, I need something to combat sever nerve pain and in my research I have found that maybe cannibus can help my stomach problems and gallstones. I hate the thought of have my gallbladder being removed as that will cause side effects with my type 1 diabetis which I don’t need. The only thing is, I don’t want to be laid out for the day due to being high, I remember being a toner in high school and gave it up because of how it left me. Any recommendations out there? Do I smoke, take drops, vape or use any one of the many other forms of this stuff?
    - Soft_Turkeys
      
      Sorry to hear about your pain and uncomfortable side effects you are experiencing. I know this was a while ago but I saw no one replied, If you are still looking for MMJ advise I would definitely recommend some kind of topical product, perhaps a balm or oil. That will help centralize your pain relief and shouldn’t leave you feeling “stoned”. Hope this helps
Robin van Velzen

This is a good read – thanks Bailey! However, there is at one error: “the development of terpenes in cannabis began for adaptive purposes: to repel predators and lure pollinators”. Cannabis and other related species are wind-pollinated so they do not have any pollinators that can be lured. Terpenes may function as pollinator attractants in other species, but definitely not in Cannabis!
- Mark Skinner
  
  You are talking about evolutionary tricks that Nature brought on hundreds of millions of years ago. We don’t know that wind pollination has always been the go for canna…….
  - Robin van Velzen
    
    Hi Mark, Cannabis are wind pollinated. Their closest relatives, hop, are also wind pollinated. All other species in the cannabis family (mostly tropical trees) are wind pollinated. So it is pretty safe to assume that cannabis has always relied on wind for pollination.
    And even if you maintain that one cannot know for sure what happened in the past it would be inappropriate to claim that terpenes in cannabis developed with the purpose to attract pollinators.
    
    I am not trying to bash anyone here. I am just pointing out one small error in an otherwise great resource!
    - Mark Skinner
      
      You have convinced me.
E.L. Bl/Du

this was the best interpretation of terpenes I’ve seen, that we ALL can understand, without getting to scientific for those that just want the basic knowledge to pass along. Thank you for your GREAT article Leafly. You guys rock!
- Mark Skinner
  
  I’ll second that motion.
Angelo Castiglione

Hi there,

Is there a difference between hydroponic v naturally grown cannabis? Is one better than the other for medicinal purposes?
- Mark Skinner
  
  I believe so. Hydroponic canna is grown with chemical fertilisers and I believe that outdoor stuff grown with natural organic fertilisers are far better. But that’s me. Others may think I am full of shit…..
  - Angelo Castiglione
    
    Thanks Mark I appreciate your insight!
  - jrogersp
    
    I disagree!!! We grow hydrroponic food and we do not use any chemicals or man made fertilizer.
- Mark Skinner
  
  I believe that plants are meant to grow in dirt and be fertilised with organic stuff that rots. However I am open to partaking of hydro grown AS LONG AS IT HAS BEEN FLUSHED FOR A WEEK OR MORE. And I would not smoke it regularly…..just now and then.
  - Angelo Castiglione
    
    Thanks again Mark. What does “flushed” mean?
    - Mark Skinner
      
      When someone is growing hydro it means using various chemicals that are not organic. If plants are NOT flushed they will still be full of chemical fertilizers. These chemicals, if smoked will give you one hell of a headache and a considerable amount of nausea. The way to avoid this is to flush out the chemicals in the plant . The way to do this is to give your plants a break from chemicals by only giving them water w/out fertilizers for the last week or more. But many growers are too bloody impatient to wait that extra week or too uneducated to know what they are doing.
      - Angelo Castiglione
        
        Ok, thanks for that Mark!
- nightengale
  
  It seems counterintuitive but I have read and have experienced that indoor grown with hydroponics creates cannabis that is superior in treating my chronic illness and pain. I’ve never experienced bad effects from hydroponically grown pot as others are mentioning here and it seems perfectly healthy for me. Over the years I’ve been comparing the effects with organic sungrown, and so far, no sungrown strain can compete with indoor grown for helping with my chronic pain and illness symptoms.
  
  Dominant indicas with a high THC count are the best for pain and illness for me as well. I need the couch-lock kind, unfortunately, although I do alternate with hybrid sativas when my symptoms aren’t as intense so I can have more energy for daily tasks of living.
  
  I am very sensitive and yet have never had bad effects from smoking flower alone. For concentrates (when treating extreme pain), I have to use either water hash, which is very hard to find now, or rosin. All the other concentrates the stores sell nowadays are made with harsh chemicals which tear my lungs up.
  - Angelo Castiglione
    
    Thanks for sharing your experience!
Reg Simser

I’ve just started using Cannabis oil for neuropathic Pain. My first order was in the Yellow Spectrum with a very low THC & higher CBD. I really want to get off the opioids I’ve been using & expect that I’ll need to use a higher THC product to do this. The oil I’m considering now is in the Blue Spectrum. There is a note that “Terpenes have been removed”, why would they remove the terpenes? Is it to remove the taste?
- K_Line
  
  Hi – I have a lot of experience with the Spectrum oils – esp. the blue and the yellow. My biggest issue with Spectrum (formerly Mettrum) is that they remove the terpenes. MedReleaf maintains the terpenes in its oils but they are MUCH more expensive as a result because, I understand, it’s difficult to retain them during the extraction process. Both the blue and yellow oils are very good products at an unbeatable price point but I also use the MedReleaf oils because those terpenes make a difference. The terpene-inclusive oils taste much better than Spectrum’s (which still taste, it’s just more of a dirt-like flavour than a herbacious one). BTW, the MedReleaf oils are more targeted than other brands I’ve come across (there are more strains, not quite as binary as the Spectrum oils) and they are of a much stronger concentration (1 bottle of MedReleaf is worth 10 g vs the 5 g of prescription value used by the Spectrum oils for more or less the same volume of oil). I think for someone looking to reduce opioid use, you may want to look into MedReleaf too.
  - Reg Simser
    
    Thanks for the reply. I have a great deal to learn about Cannabis.
Erin Elizabeth

Hi! What is the best resource for reading up on the full list of the 100 terpenes and their benefits? Is there a recommended book?

What Are Cannabis Terpenes and What Do They Do?

What Are Cannabis Terpenes?