How Do Terpenes Affect The Body?

If you’re like most people, you’re probably familiar with the idea of aromatherapy and using certain scents to relax your mind and promote general well-being. But did you know that the secret to these therapeutic benefits may be the compounds behind the scent itself?

Terpenes are organic compounds found in various plants and seeds that emit fragrances, including citrus, woody, herbal, and other recognizable aromas. These compounds are responsible for the scent of everyday products like essential oils, soap, and cleaners and play a crucial role in the effects they produce on our bodies. Both hemp and cannabis plants contain terpenes.

As you might wonder, terpenes are much more than just aromatic compounds. They have been shown to interact with cannabinoids and other substances in our bodies to produce a range of effects. This is partly due to the entourage effect, where cannabinoids and terpenes work together to enhance each other’s properties in our endocannabinoid system.

To understand these compounds a little further, we’ve made a small guide on how these chemicals interact with our body, some of their therapeutic benefits, and where you can find them while also discovering some of our favorite products to try them on. 

You can read down below how terpenes affect our body and who knows, you might just find your new favorite aroma along the way.

Looking for terpene-packed cannabis goodies? Check out what we’ve got:

 

Key Takeaways

• Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds found in various plants and seeds that give off scents, including citrus, woody, herbal, and other characteristic aromas. They can be found in both hemp and cannabis.
• Terpenes interact with cannabinoids and other compounds to produce different effects in our body, including mood elevation, stress relief, and pain relief. They can also enhance each other’s properties through the “entourage effect.”
• Terpenes have been part of folk medicine and are now being studied for their therapeutic benefits, including Limonene’s enhancement of cannabinoid properties and Geraniol’s antibacterial and antifungal properties.
• These compounds can be found in everyday products like essential oils, soap, and cleaners and can also be consumed through hemp-based products like vape pens, tinctures, and edibles.

 

How do Terpenes Work?

Let’s first explore what terpenes are. These are naturally occurring compounds that can be found in various plants and seeds, including flowers, trees, fruits, and even herbs. These are responsible for the scent of many things we consume, from essential oils to detergents and other commonly found products.

Some known terpenes like Limonene are known for giving products their characteristic citrus notes, or even some rare ones like Valencene are sometimes found in perfumes or cannabis strains due to their woody and herbal scent.

Now, terpenes do a lot more than just being aromatic. These compounds have been shown to interact with cannabinoids and other substances of our endocannabinoid system to produce different effects in our bodies.

Some of them can aid in uplifting your mood, aid with some stress symptoms, or even allow for better pain and inflammation relief from cannabinoids you are already consuming, like CBD or delta 8 THC. One powerful example of this is Terpinolene, which is known for its potential therapeutic and energy-boosting effects.

Let’s explore the effect of terpene on our bodies a little bit further.

 

How do Terpenes Affect the Body?

Thanks to scientific breakthroughs and current studies on terpenes, we are able to understand a great deal of the potential effects of terpenes on our mind and body. Of course, this is still an ongoing topic, but there are a few key ideas to understand how they interact and create different effects.

The first one is known as the entourage effect. This process usually means that cannabinoids work together with terpenes to enhance each other’s potential effects. 

In this study, scientists were able to understand that terpenes could have a great potential to aid different ailments. Specifically, how four different mechanisms most terpenes work around our body through apoptosis, anti-metastasis, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenesis mechanisms.

Without getting too complicated on each terpene’s mechanism, they interact with our body by aiding certain signals from different systems, mainly the nervous system, of which the endocannabinoid system is part.

 

Therapeutic Use of Terpenes

Nowadays, terpenes have been greatly explored through scientific research, but they’ve formed part of folk medicine for a long time.  Specifically, some folk medicine deemed terpenes helpful just by being nearby for a forest walk or getting a “Forest shower.”

In this recent study, terpenes have been further studied due to the potential mental relaxation of being close to plants, either in tree and plant-crowded areas like forests or even with gardening. 

Scientists found that the plant oil used to treat several diseases could actually have the potential to aid with different symptoms, such as being neuroprotective or anti-inflammatory.

Now, the study we mentioned in the last part actually listed some of the most important therapeutic uses for terpenes so far. Some of them are Limonene, which enhances the properties of cannabinoids and terpenes, Geraniol which has antibacterial and antifungal properties. 

Other commonly found terpenes in hemp and cannabis, like Myrcene, were described in the study to have shown potential for antifungal properties. However, more studies are needed to fully grasp its actual properties and test them in clinical studies.

 

How do You Use Terpenes?

Terpenes can be used in many different ways, and you might actually be using some of them already. Due to their plant and herbal nature, some products we use in our daily life already have terpenes in them, like essential oils, soap, and even cleaners. 

Most of the “citric” smell from cleaners usually comes from terpenes such as Limonene, as it is what gives these products that lemony smell. But if you really want to try terpene products for wellness goals, we’d go with hemp-based products.

Now, most hemp and cannabis products will have some sort of terpene. If you buy hemp flowers, it is most likely that the flower itself will have different compounds that give its characteristic smell and aroma.

Other products, like vape pens, tinctures, and edibles, use terpene extract (also called juice) that is added to their formula to emulate what cannabis strains aromas. This is why some vape pens or even gummies can have “flavors” without any other artificial flavoring needed.

Most of these products are safe to consume and actually produce what we called above as the entourage effect. By working in synergy with cannabinoids like delta 8 THC, CBD, or delta 9 THC, these compounds can potentially aid some of the benefits, like feeling more relaxed or calming down the inflammation.

 

Where to Find Terpene Rich Cannabis

If you want to try delicious terpene-rich hemp products, we have a few recommendations in mind from our very own Delta Munchies store. First, if you like vaping and want to taste potent tokes with smooth notes, we’d go with our Dart XL line.

The Dart XL line has an automatic draw and superior airflow, making it perfect for getting big puff clouds without having to worry about cleaning up or maintenance. Best of all, they come in different strain-inspired flavors that use delicious terpenes to enhance each and every toke.

Our first choice would be the delicious Berry Pie-inspired Delta 8 Dart XL disposable vaping pen. This heavy-hitting sativa hybrid is not only delicious and full of berry flavor but also one of our favorite pens for day use. This pen has two full grams of our delicious delta 8 THC extract, so don’t worry about having to restock mid-session.

Now, another hybrid favorite we’d go for flavor is the iconic Grape Runtz Delta 8 Dart XL. This indica hybrid will relax you without feeling too drowsy, with soft grape and vanilla-like notes. As the star child of Grape Ape, Zkittles, Gelato, and OG Kush, you’ll love this grape{like cocktail that you can enjoy mid-afternoon to unwind.

For a smokeless experience full of flavor and terpene goodness, try our Blue Dream Delta 9 Gummies. These have our delicious full spectrum delta 9 THC formula, with 10mg of delta 9 with over 11 cannabinoids that can potentially aid with relaxation. You can try these berry-inspired treats in booth 25 and 40-piece jars.