Posted on February 26, 2021 in Other

With the rising legalization of cannabis worldwide, there’s a growing interest in these remarkable plants. Namely, more and more scientists are curious about what cannabis has to offer. Although its main cannabinoids have been researched, including THC and CBD, we didn’t know as much about terpenes.

Today, after multiple studies, we know a lot more about terpenes, how they behave in our bodies, and are familiar with their advantages and disadvantages. So, terpenes became available to the broader public, and you can find cheap terpenes for sale wherever you are.

However, if you’d like to know a bit more about terpenes and their pros and cons before purchasing, check out this article.

What Are Terpenes?

Terpenes are most commonly associated with the cannabis plant, as it consists of over 200 different terpenes in altering amounts. Nevertheless, various other plants, fruits, and vegetables also contain a variety of terpenes, so terpenes aren’t exclusive to cannabis.

Have you ever wondered what gives the CBD flowers such a strong scent or lemons a strong taste? The terpenes are essentially responsible for this, as they’re intensely aromatic compounds found almost anywhere in nature.

Their primary role is to protect the plants with their strong aromas. They effectively ward off any predators that might attack the plant while simultaneously attracting the pollinators.

For the longest time, scientists believed cannabinoids were responsible for the specific cannabis aroma, only to find out they’re tasteless and odorless. That is when the interest in the sticky resin called terpenes increased.

With many studies coming to the same conclusion, terpenes became the newest topic concerning cannabis and many other plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Each cannabis strain comes with a unique terpene profile which affects its scent, taste, and the entire sensation after consumption.

How Do Terpenes Work?

Now, since we’re familiar with the compounds named terpenes, let’s discuss how they affect human physiology.

Similar to cannabinoids, terpenes bind to our brain receptors. Therefore, they influence the production of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin, which play a significant role in the human body’s physiology.

Interaction between terpenes and brain receptors results in a unique physiological response. Namely, as each terpene interacts with receptors differently, there aren’t two identical responses. This physiological response has its set of advantages and disadvantages, so let’s take a closer look at what they are.

The Pros of Terpenes

Terpenes have countless pros, so anyone can find several properties of terpenes they can benefit from. Because of their extensive list of healthy advantages, terpenes positively influence everything from stress to severe conditions such as cancer.

Relieves Stress

Terpenes are most widely used due to their ability to combat stress effectively. Because of their powerful aromas, terpenes have a relaxing effect on brain receptors which decreases stress levels. Besides reducing the stress, most terpenes are also great for treating other psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Improves Mood

Since the terpenes bind to the brain receptors, they also positively affect the mood. With the majority of terpenes reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, they also successfully decrease pain and have countless anti-inflammatory properties as well. All of this contributes to the overall mood improvement, which terpenes are widely loved for.

Enhances Focus

In addition to relaxation and mood boost, terpenes can also enhance our focus. If you’re having trouble with maintaining sharp focus for a more extended period, then maybe terpenes are the perfect solution. They improve concentration and enhance clarity, so you’ll finish your projects much easier.

Other Benefits

There are numerous other benefits all terpenes provide. Some of them help in the treatment of osteoarthritis, some in inflammations and infections, while some even have positive effects on treating cancer.

The Cons of Terpenes

Despite all of their pros, terpenes come with some cons too. While they aren’t related to health effects, they’re still the strongest disadvantage that causes terpenes’ availability and use.

Legality

The major disadvantage of terpenes is concerned with their legality. Since they’re most commonly connected to cannabis, their legality status depends from country to country. This makes terpenes more challenging to find as their availability is limited.

Price

Linked to the previous point, legality also negatively affects the price. Due to their rarity and exclusiveness, isolated terpenes are more expensive than cannabis. Even when they’re legal, the process of extracting terpenes from cannabis plants also adds up to the final price.

Batch Irregularities

Finally, if you happen to think a particular strain is perfect for you in all aspects, it’s almost impossible to get the same effect again. All strains differ because of their unique terpene profiles, which leads to their one-of-a-kind aromas.

Conclusion

In sum, terpenes have endless benefits for your overall health. They can treat, or at least alleviate, all kinds of pain, issues, and conditions in a completely natural way. However, they’re hard to find, especially in places where cannabis is illegal, which further increases their price.