There’s a lot of misconceptions about the scent and flavor of your favorite CBD products. As the market continues to grow, more and more consumers are discovering the wide selection of tastes that accompany beneficial CBD products. But what creates these aromas and tastes?
The answer can be a bit more complex than people realize, and it may not always be the same answer. For CBD users, the aromas and various flavors play a significant role — influencing which products are fan favorites. Terpenes are what you can thank for the incredible tastes and fragrances you’ve come to love about your preferred CBD tinctures or CBD hemp flower.
What are Terpenes
You might not have known this, but you experience terpenes every day. These chemicals are responsible for the way lemons smell, the pungent scent of ginger, or even the calming aroma of lavender. There are a lot of different types of terpenes, each with their own effects — which is why they play such a big role in CBD effectiveness (we’ll get to that later).
Here are some of the most popular and most effective terpenes.
Myrcene can be found in a wide variety of herbs like lemongrass, basil, and thyme. It’s also found in fruits like mangoes. Studies have shown that myrcene has sedative effects, which can make it beneficial for those with trouble sleeping or staying still.
Limonene is a terpene that many of us are familiar with, as it’s found in citrus peels. This zesty aroma is found to have anxiety and stress-relieving capabilities.
Pinene, as the name suggests, comes from pine plants. Pinene is popular in essential oils and has been known to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, which can be extremely beneficial for those of us that spend far too much time staring at the ceiling during the nighttime hours.
Linalool is found in hundreds of plants and is responsible for a lavender-scent that has been found to guard the immune system against the destructive properties of stress and can help with sleep problems as well.
While these aren’t even close to all of the terpenes that exist, they illustrate a fantastic point. Terpenes have immense benefits that often work in concert with the existing advantages of CBD.
What are Strain Specific Terpenes
Every strain of cannabis has its own unique terpenes that give it a unique flavor and aroma. Strain-specific terpenes are engineered to mimic a specific strain’s natural terpene qualities.
By determining the terpene rations that naturally occur in specific strains, CBD oil manufacturers are able to reverse engineer the process by extracting the cannabinoids in order to recreate the flavor and aroma profile. While certain cannabis plants have very specific flavor profiles with some fairly interesting names, that doesn’t always mean the terpene flavor will match. Strain-specific terpenes are meant to mimic the taste and flavor of a particular strain of the plant itself, rather than the creative name used.
What are Flavor-Enhanced Terpenes
Terpenes can have some very tasty and pleasant aromas; however, many CBD users have their own taste preferences, which may limit their ability to get the flavor they desire. Flavor enhanced terpenes are extracted from cannabis plants with additional natural flavors as well — for the best of both worlds product.
CBD oils can have flavors such as lemon-lime, cinnamon, or even spearmint. The possibilities are actually quite endless, as natural flavor-enhancing capabilities are only limited by the number of natural flavors themselves.
How Do Terpenes and Cannabinoids Work Together?
So, you probably think that terpenes only serve to give CBD products an attractive aroma or a tasty flavor, but that’s not all.
Terpenes have a lot of synergy with cannabinoid products, which is commonly referred to as the “entourage effect.” A lot of the therapeutic, physiological, and cerebral effects of CBD can be magnified with certain terpenes.
Terpenes encompass a fairly wide-ranging class of molecules that, when combined with cannabinoids, produce a more desired effect. The “entourage effect” essentially helps maximize CBD’s capabilities. CBD, or cannabidiol, produces a lot of the desired pain-relieving and anxiety-relieving effects, but it may not be CBD all by itself.
To keep it simple, it takes a village — a village of compounds working together to alleviate problematic symptoms and get the most out of your CBD products.
Are You Interested in CBD?
CBD has incredible benefits that can help a wide range of people. Studies have shown that CBD may relieve various problems such as anxiety, pain, and even acne.
It also may have neuroprotective qualities, according to some research. However, there is still much progress to be made regarding its full capabilities. While more studies will be needed in the future, there have been some promising results with;
- Antipsychotic effects
- Anti-tumor properties
- Substance abuse treatment
- Diabetes prevention
CBD has been around for a very long time, but it’s just now getting its time in the spotlight and has a hopeful future.
