Anyone Vaporized Individual Terpenes?

[trichcycler]

Like myrcene, pinene, dlimonene, or any essential oil other than cannabis extract?

 

Commercial producers are now adding these terpenes, already produced by the plant, back into the

extraction to make up for loss due to heat. Big pharma may be looking at dosing of terpene groupings

via the nubulizer.

 

I suspect a "drop" of linalool is a hundred times more than what might be available in the best Grape Stomper bud.

[Norby]

I'd love to get a sample of 100+ different dram vials.  I used to name my strains according to smell(juicy fruit, diesel, grape bubble yum, pine tar, lemon pepper, eucalyptus,etc.) and would love to be able to figure out all the smells(strains) according to terpenes and look up the effects.

[trichcycler]

its almost just like that, except when you sniff cannabis there could be a hundred of these scents all mixed together by nature. I assure you, the individual terpenes have little to do with the smell of cannabis. Once in awhile a whiff is sentimental, but connecting it is difficult, as many of them exist in many strains.

 

I wonder how many others are interested in this rainbow of terpene samples? hmmm?

[Norby]

I agree but would like to play.  I got a really good sniffer.   At the moment I'm connecting strains that I had in the past by scent.  There are differences but there is usually one overwhelming scent that I'm usually looking for.  Like I know there are more than one minty, camphor, eucalyptus type terpene but I can smell that scent from something i had back in the day called eucalyptus.  If I had those types of terpines I could get more of an idea what mine had back in the day.  Thru deducing the possible effects the pot gives you, you may be able to discern what terpenes it has before testing.  Sure it's a long shot but it's something that would be interesting to me considering my method of strain naming.  I got a mixed bag of seeds that a guy had kept from all the cup winners he brought back from Amsterdam.  He'd give the seeds to local growers and get flowers and seeds back from them.  Whenever he'd find a seed in the buds he got back he'd throw it in a baggie.  That baggie was the start of my breeding projects back in the day.  The reason I named them according to smell was to remember what they were as i never had any idea what the genetics were of what I was putting down and could never cross something similar back to it unless by accident. 

 

'm sure a plethora of terpenes goes into the scent of each strain but there are probably 2-3 dominant ones in a lot of strains that you could pick out.

[trichcycler]

precisely! training you body to recognize the profiles that are bet for you opens up a whole new world of possibilities for healing. I'm happy to hear of similar vibrations.

Recall you are able to influence the outcome of your terpene profiles. Its difficult to "add" a new terpene in the garden but setting up precursors to existing profiles is possible and I do it often. Its time consuming with palpable results. Coffee is my latest one, but pineapples, lemons, mango's, anise, eucalyptus, and pine are my stars. These individual terpenes may have medicinal properties by themselves, and a tuned body can know if the bud is good for them or better for them, with a sniff maybe. dlimonene for instance facilitates the brain/blood barrier lighting fast compared to none. Strains high in that profile will definitely report different resulting effects than strains without for instance. Influencing the smaller instances of (say) dlimonene in particular strains could have beneficial uses in medicine. Custom producing plants that are producing higher occurrence of specific terpenes is in cannabis future. Everyone already does it, but not sure why or how maybe, with varying results. ALL cannabis will express fully if given the opportunity, as you know. The differences can be sensed in the dispensary when comparing 7 dollars a gram bud to 25$ gram buds. Seems doing it right is worth 3 times the money as doing it poorly. That's the precedent set in the community. Might change though, when everyone learns how to supply their plants exactly what they need, when they need it....every plant will be the top bud, patients will rejoice

[Norby]

One of my first thoughts on the subject was that certain smells are just more intense smells of other things and that mixing them produced even different smells.  I figured(probably wrong) that the "grape" smell seemed like a mix of licorice and a sugary sweet smell.  So I've been thinking on this since before I knew what terpenes were.  Very interesting stuff!!!

[t-pain]

some of these terpenes are present in marijuana in very very small amounts. maybe nanograms and micrograms

i cant imagine vaporizing and breathing them in any larger quantities.

 

you'd have to be very careful.

it can burn lungs/nose just to breath/smell some of the terpenes found in wood and plants.

thats not even talking about concentrating it.

[trichcycler]

agree, but "Pure Gold" adds 5% Limonene back to their honey oil before packaging. This is ridiculously high % imo, and I've tried it. ridiculous. nanograms is likely correct.

 

there are topical considerations to consider also, as many of these terpenes are very efficient in osmosis, blood brain barrier breaching, time release type modifications, and even aroma therapy medicine applications. Some of those could use 90% solutions for thought.

[Habenero]

 

Commercial producers are now adding these terpenes, already produced by the plant, back into the

extraction to make up for loss due to heat. Big pharma may be looking at dosing of terpene groupings

via the nubulizer.

 

GM where do they get the terpenes to add back in. That is interesting. Is it safe tho?

[trichcycler]

from me of course !    buwaahhaaa

[trichcycler]

THC is the only unique terpene that I know of so far. The remainder(that I know of) are found in the plant world. Even grass and trees, and fruit and veggies produce the same terpenes. I suspect a mass extraction takes place.

[trichcycler]

PureGold with Limonene: smokable and quick acting

 

PureGold, the core active ingredient in all TetraLabs products, offers rapid relief for appetite loss, nausea, inflammation, pain and other symptoms. PureGold is not an extract or hash oil. Rather, it consists of the pure cannabinoids that are refined from hash oil.

 

Smokable PureGold contains 93% pure natural cannabinoids, comprised of approximately 87% Δ9 and other THC isomers, 2% CBG, 3% CBN, 1% CBD, along with 2% other terpenes. Smokable PureGold also includes 5% d-limonene, a naturally occurring terpene found in orange oil and other plants, including cannabis. Testers report that limonene improves smoke-ability and improves the affect. Limonene also is an anti-oxidant and has the pleasant fragrance of oranges.

 

PureGold Classic is a pale yellow viscous liquid. We occassionally produce variations, such as PureGold Plus, which contains more flavinoids than PureGold Classic. Flavinoids are anti-oxidants and also pigments, which gives PureGold Plus its deep amber color. Other than addition of flavinoids, PureGold Plus is identical to PureGold Classic. Both have identical effects although tasters report that Plus is slightly more flavorful.

 

PureGold is generally heated and inhaled in pure form. One drop can last a long time if properly smoked.

 

You'll notice the effects of PureGold in less than one minute. Importantly, PureGold leaves patients clear-headed without the fuzzy, dopey character of some cannabis.

 

PureGold with Limonene is available in 1/2 gram vials and squeeze tubes.

[trichcycler]

Various extraction methods have their pros and cons. Using hexane or another toxic solvent to extract cannabis oil can leave poisonous residues behind. Critical CO2 extraction, while cleaner, requires expensive, sophisticated equipment and technical expertise. In either case, the extract maker may have to add the terpenes back into the oil concentrate in order to maximize the plant’s therapeutic potential.

David Watson, the master crafter of the foundational hybrid Skunk #1, was among the first to emphasize the importance of aromatic terpenes for their modifying impact on THC. Terpenes, or terpenoids, are the compounds in cannabis that give the plant its unique smell. THC and the other cannabinoids have no odor, so marijuana’s compelling fragrance depends on which terpenes predominate. It’s the combination of terpenoids and THC that endows each strain with a specific psychoactive flavor.

In 1989, Watson and his business partner, Robert Connell Clarke, formed HortaPharm, a legally chartered, Holland-based research company that specializes in botanical science and cannabis therapeutics. Based in Amsterdam, these two American expatriates broke new ground in horticultural pharmacology as they crossed and recrossed thousands of cannabis varietals, discarding most along the way while selecting a relatively small number for further development.

How did they decide which plants made the first cut? “We smelled them,” Watson explains.

He had long suspected that the terpenes present in cannabis resin enhance the potency of THC. Ten years after launching HortaPharm, Watson tested his hypothesis in an experiment that compared the subjective effects of 100 percent THC to lesser amounts in terpene-infused cannabis resin. The consensus among Watson and several associates: Terpene-infused resin with 50 percent THC was more potent by dry weight than an equivalent amount of pure THC.

Typically, terpenes are volatile molecules that evaporate easily and readily announce themselves to the nose. Therein lies the basis of aromatherapy, a popular alternative-healing modality. Like their odorless cannabinoid cousins, terpenes are oily compounds secreted in the marijuana plant’s glandular trichomes. Terpenes and THC share a biochemical precursor, geranyl pyrophosphate, which develops into the cannabinoids and terpenoids that saturate the plant’s flower tops.

But unlike THC and the other plant cannabinoids that exist nowhere else but in marijuana, terpenes are ubiquitous throughout the natural world. Produced by countless plant species, terpenes are prevalent in fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and other botanicals. Terpenes are also common ingredients in the human diet and have generally been recognized as safe to consume by the US Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.hightimes.com/read/talking-terpenes

[trichcycler]

Have you ever tasted a strawberry or watermelon candy and actually thought it tasted like either? You look at the wrapper to check the ingredients and see “artificial flavors added” or “no fruit juice is used in this product” and you know you are never going to confuse that flavor with the taste of real summer fresh strawberries or ripe sweet real watermelon. If you are particularly health conscious, then you might also think “I would rather not put artificial chemicals into my body” and “I would rather stick with organic produce”. The same consideration should be made when you vape cannabis oils because there is a growing trend to “recreate” flavor profiles through the use of added terpenes.

 

Terpenes make the flavor profile of the cannabis flower and studies show that terpenes play an important part in the medicinal value of cannabis as they work with the cannabinoids. These days, in the race to attain pure THC, the use of solvents to achieve that goal strips the original terpenes out of the oil, leaving a taste that is something like stewed industrial waste. So, terpenes derived from things like oranges and papaya are added back to attempt to recreate the flavor profile of, say, a sour diesel for example. While that might improve upon something that is otherwise unpalatable, like the candy example, if you put enough sugar on dog doo you can make it edible but it is still dog doo. Besides, why destroy what was great enough as nature intended? Marinols are pure THC. Have you ever tried one of those and thought you would never use cannabis any other way?

https://www.weedclub.com/blogs/homegrownoil/terpenes-in-co2-cannabis-oil-extractions

The issue is whether you know or know what has been added back into your cannabis oil to recreate or enhance its flavor in terms of terpenes or its medicinal value in terms of potency. Producers only voluntarily reveal their methods of production or ingredients so the conflicts of interest are inherent. Do you always know if your oil was processed with Butane or what the purity is and would you be concerned how much butane was residual? You certainly wouldn’t want to inhale butane so knowing the purity of oil processed with it should be a concern and some companies don’t even disclose the fact that butane was used in their process.

 

The green rush is great but should not rush past the concerns for health and transparency. The processors of refined cannabis products need to heed mindful and reasonable methods of production to assure safety and practice ethical disclosure so patients and recreational users know what they are using. The reforms for cannabis law must continue and there is no reason to keep the negative stereotypes of old, where users had no idea what was in their product, or how potent it would be.

[trichcycler]

Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC.

 

 

What exactly are the essential oils that we are extracting from the cannabis plant, and what are their properties?

 

Here is a nifty list that I scored off ICMag, posted by Spurr, who used http://cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/2001-03-04-7.pdfas his information source:

 

?-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Boiling point: 157*C / 314.6 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Euphoriant, Analgesic, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiemetic

 

cannabidiol (CBD) Boiling point: 160-180*C / 320-356 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Anxiolytic, Analgesic, Antipsychotic, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic

 

Cannabinol (CBN) Boiling point: 185*C / 365 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Oxidation, breakdown, product, Sedative, Antibiotic

 

cannabichromene (CBC) Boiling point: 220*C / 428 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antifungal

 

cannabigerol (CBG) Boiling point: MP52 Properties: Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antifungal

 

?-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (?-8-THC) Boiling point: 175-178*C / 347-352.4 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Resembles ?-9-THC, Less psychoactive, More stable Antiemetic

 

tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) Boiling point: < 220*C / <428 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Analgesic, Euphoriant

 

Terpenoid essential oils, their boiling points, and properties

 

ß-myrcene Boiling point: 166-168*C / 330.8-334.4 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Analgesic. Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antimutagenic

 

ß-caryophyllene Boiling point: 119*C / 246.2 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antiinflammatory, Cytoprotective (gastric mucosa), Antimalarial

 

d-limonene Boiling point: 177*C / 350.6 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Cannabinoid agonist?, Immune potentiator, Antidepressant, Antimutagenic

 

linalool Boiling point: 198*C / 388.4 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Sedative, Antidepressant, Anxiolytic, Immune potentiator

 

pulegone Boiling point: 224*C / 435.2 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Memory booster?, AChE inhibitor, Sedative, Antipyretic

 

1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) Boiling point: 176*C / 348.8 degree Fahrenheit Properties: AChE inhibitor, Increases cerebral, blood flow, Stimulant, Antibiotic, Antiviral, Antiinflammatory, Antinociceptive

 

a-pinene Boiling point: 156*C / 312.8 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antiinflammatory, Bronchodilator, Stimulant, Antibiotic, Antineoplastic, AChE inhibitor

 

a-terpineol Boiling point: 217-218*C / 422.6-424.4 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Sedative, Antibiotic, AChE inhibitor, Antioxidant, Antimalarial

 

terpineol-4-ol Boiling point: 209*C / 408.2 degree Fahrenheit Properties: AChE inhibitor. Antibiotic

 

p-cymene Boiling point: 177*C / 350.6 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antibiotic, Anticandidal, AChE inhibitor

 

Flavonoid and phytosterol components, their boiling points, and properties

 

apigenin Boiling point: 178*C / 352.4 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Anxiolytic, Antiinflammatory, Estrogenic

 

quercetin Boiling point: 250*C / 482 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antioxidant, Antimutagenic, Antiviral, Antineoplastic

 

cannflavin A Boiling point: 182*C / 359.6 degree Fahrenheit Properties: COX inhibitor, LO inhibitor

 

ß-sitosterol Boiling point: 134*C / 273.2 degree Fahrenheit Properties: Antiinflammatory, 5-a-reductase, inhibitor

[trichcycler]

 

HolyWater, Live Resin, and The Future Of Terpene-Rich Cannabis Concentrates

 

 

Drake Dorm | July 25, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cannabis concentrates have really jumped to the forefront of the industry in recent years. An increasing number of patients are being turned on to the rapid relief offered by portable vape pens and glass concentrate rigs that allow you to intake a high concentration of cannabinoids in a matter of seconds.

 

Traditionally speaking, many concentrate makers have made it a point to strive for the highest percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their product as possible. But increasing knowledge about terpenes and their interaction with cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant has brought about a great deal of interest in a new class of terpene-rich concentrates.

 

What Is HolyWater? What Is Terp Sap?

 

If you’ve been paying close attention to the concentrate community, then you’ve most likely heard the term HolyWater at some point. With a host of positive endorsements from cannabis industry icons, it seems clear that we’re seeing the next step in the evolution of concentrates.

 

That being said, there has been a bit of confusion as to what the product actually is; some people have said that there is water in the final product and others have suggested that there are high levels of residual butane. However, results from recent lab-tests have shown both of these assumptions are false.

 

 

“Most samples of concentrate clock-in with around 4% percent total terpenoid content. HolyWater, on the other hand, has routinely been tested with 20% terps or more.”

 

HolyWater is in fact BHO – this means the process is simlar to most samples of shatter, wax, etc. that you would find at your local collective. What sets HolyWater apart is its high terpene content, which gives it more of a sappy, liquid consistency.

 

Addison DeMoura, COO of Steep Hill Halent Labs, is a self-proclaimed concentrate lover and has seemingly made it his mission to help improve the community’s knowledge on the topic. As he explains, the aroma from a one-gram container of HolyWater is comparable to that of “a whole bag of weed.”

 

DeMoura goes on to say that most samples of concentrate clock-in with around 4% percent total terpenoid content. HolyWater, on the other hand, has routinely been tested with 20% terps or more.

 

Upon hearing this, many people jump to the conclusion that HolyWater must contain a certain amount of terpenes that were reintroduced to the formula at some point. This is true of products like The Clear, in which food-grade terpenes are added to enhance the flavor profile, but HolyWater is a different beast altogether; they have simply dialed in a process that allows them to preserve a much higher percent of terpenes found in the live cannabis plant. Interestingly enough, HolyWater still clocks-in with nearly twice the terpene content of most batches of The Clear.

 

holy water

 

What Are The Benefits Of Live Resin Extractions?

 

Earlier this week, I had a chance to speak with Rob SpOILed of the SpOILed Patients Collective. He studied under Eric “the pope” Heisenberg, who was the first to dial-in the HolyWater method some five years ago, and has won multiple awards in this year’s competition circuit with their Terp Sap. According to Rob, much of the secret lies in the freshness of their source material.

 

 

“As much of 60% of a plant’s terpene content is lost during the drying process.” – Kenneth “K” Morrow

 

Most concentrate makers prefer to work with material that has been dried out, much like it would have been if it were being distributed as flowers. Heisenberg’s HolyWater and SpOILed’s Terp Sap are often produced using freshly harvested plants, which has led to it being referred to as “live resin” in many cirlces. This process allows them to retain much more of the plant’s original aroma and flavor profile. (Note: Due to their proprietary extraction method, HolyWater has tested above 10% terpenoid content even when using dry material)

 

As explained to me by Kenneth “K” Morrow, founder of Trichome Technologies, the Handbook of Essential Oils reports that as much of 60% of a plant’s terpene content is lost during the drying process. Compound that with the terpenes that are lost in the midst of your typical extraction and we’re left with just a fraction of the terpenes found in the resin of a live cannabis plant.

 

Morrow is no stranger to this problem, and he has been working with Across International to develop a terpene isolator in order to help concentrate makers capture these pure terpenes and later reintroduce them to their high-THC concentrates. That being said, he expressed his sentiments that HolyWater is “a very incredible product.”

 

Terpene-Rich Concentrates: Next Step In The Evolution Of Cannabis?

 

The amount of flavor found in one tiny bottle of HolyWater or Terp Sap is enough to change a person’s perspective on the amount of flavor that concentrate makers can achieve. It seems obvious to me that we will one day look back on these terpene-rich concentrates as the next step in the evolution of cannabis.

 

I would expect HolyWater’s liquid consistency to be nearly perfect for use with portable vape pens like the Cloud Platinum, Vaped Nano, and the Dr. GreenThumb X Cloud Pen. However, it will be runnier than what patients who prefer to dab their concentrates are used to – Rob SpOILed suggests using a spatula or a spoon to help solve the issue of dripping.

 

 

“Patients who are looking for a high dose of THC from their dabs are able to get the best of both worlds by mixing a bit of Holy Water with their favorite concentrate.”

 

Still, these terpene-rich concentrates are already becoming a favorite among connoisseurs. Those patients who are looking for a high dose of THC from their dabs are able to get the best of both worlds by mixing a bit of HolyWater or Terp Sap with their favorite concentrate.

 

In fact, Addison demoura told me that a mixture of the “HolyWater” & The Clear Raw (often tests around 90% THC), first mixed and coined the “Holy Grail” by Lil Wolverine, is his favorite thing to dab lately; it allows him to get the sort of flavor he loves from the HolyWater and the high dose of cannabinoids his body needs from The Clear.

 

While most of us are just now catching up to speed as far as these terpene-rich extracts are concerned, some concentrate makers have already started to take things one step further, using food-grade terpenes as their extraction solvent. Horatio Delbert astonished his fellow competitors at the Pacific Northwest Secret Cup earlier this year when he unveiled his limonene honey oil (LHO).

 

Questions remain about whether or not butane is the safest possible solvent to use when producing concentrates, so the more options patients can choose from the better. As cannabis becomes more accepted in the mainstream, people will continue to evolve their extraction processes – this can only be positive as the industry develops.

[Restorium2]

So they 'claim' they made an extract from an extract. Way ahead of all the science and the billions spent to put something real on the market that is a real extract, Sativex, which has no taste or smell. Real lab work in real labs trying out everything they possibly could, even using real plants and real people with real diseases. They are the most advanced cannabis labs in the world and they know cannabis inside and out YET this has escaped them ? Very far fetched. 

[trichcycler]

Terpenes And Your Cannabis Posted on August 14, 2011 by Allan Frankel, MD What are Terpenes and what is their effect in making Cannabis Tinctures? The Terpenes are multi-carbon chained molecules ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. They give the plant it’s “character”, similar to the wine industry. In addition, the Terpenes are responsible for communication in nature, plant to plant and plant to animal. There is one Terpene which I recently read about, that is released when it’s leaves are crushed by a herbivore. These terpens attract carnivores who are then more likely to eat the herbivore before the plant is all eaten. Terpenes are “balancers and communicators”. Clearly we have receptors for Terpenes and some Terpenes interact with the CB 1 receptor. Terpenes are probably the most improtant variable other than the THC and CBD. There is much to learn, but it is clear that including the Terpenes in the extraction and re-infusing them into the tincture is a good if not at least, interesting concept. So, our team has been looking into adding Terpenes back into various tinctures. It is more a messy than difficult process, assuming you are using C02 extraction. I don’t know how else to do it. Anyway, the Terpenes are large, but volatile molecules and upon any processing tend to just float away. As far as I know, there are two methods used to capture the Terpenes in water. Once this is done, you just cook it all up. So, in the first, one just allows the Terpenes to circulate and re-circulate with the CO2 itself. A water bath near the end collects the Terpenes and this “Terpene” extract is tested. I just consulted on my first Terpene extraction and much was learned. The other method, which I have read about but not tried – YET! Here you give up on any attempts to re-circulate the C02, and each “run”/”batch” you need to replenish the C02. This is only a cost issue. So, the C02 is not kept under pressure and is just released into the atmosphere. Again, sterile water is used to flush the Terpenes and all efforts are made to keep the Terpenes in solution in a closed system. Either way, the Terpene flush is mixed with the cannabinoids and presto! With regard to effects, for SURE, it helps with achieving many altered states. Allan I Frankel, MD - See more at: http://greenbridgemed.com/2011/08/14/terpenes-and-your-cannabis/#sthash.8yvaEhP7.dpuf

[trichcycler]

 

Cannabinoids & Terpenoids: The Future of Cannabis Connoisseurship

By: Kayla Williams 2/21/2014

 

Cannabinoids & Terpenoids: The Future of Cannabis Connoisseurship

 

The cannabis industry is evolving at a pace both unexpected and impossible to plan for. While working to keep a pulse on daily developments, we can't help but revel in the possibilities of what lies ahead. It's not every day that you can participate in shaping an industry from products to policy to social attitudes. Some would even call it a once in a lifetime opportunity. This level of influence is empowering and serves as forceful motivation to learn and share all that we can as fast as we can so that when we look back years from now, when cannabis is in most household medicine cabinets or kitchen pantries, we will be proud of where we are. The time is definitely now.

 

Listed below are some observations and predictions to chew on -- what does your vision look like?

 

Concentrates are Trending

 

If one thing was made clear at the Los Angeles Cannabis Cup, it's that concentrates are trending. Whether it be vape pens or dab rigs, oil or shatter, concentrates have officially arrived and (policy permitting) are here to stay. But it may be for good reason: concentrates come without almost all plant matter which is combusted when smoking flower. Also, while high potency creates apprehension associated with increasing tolerance and dosage control, concentrates are also the most efficient, cleanest consumption method when handled correctly.

 

The Cup's panel assembly kicked off with "Generation Dab" and covered topics ranging from parallels between Monsanto and cannabis genome trademarking to the disparity between Colorado's aggressive residual solvent testing and higher human exposure thresholds, which pose a threat to market production. However, the dominant thread was undeniably cannabinoids and terpenes, or you could say, the nuts and bolts of concentrates.

 

Cannabinoids and Terpenoids are the Strain Blueprint

 

If you're unfamiliar with cannabinoids or terpenoids, it's time to learn. Each strain can be defined by a specific chemical makeup, i.e.., its combination of cannabinoids and terpenoids. The exact relationship between cannabinoids and terpenoids is uncertain, but the ineffectiveness of single cannabinoid extractions (e.g.., Marinol THC capsules) prove the significance of the synergistic effects of both compounds -- often referred to as "the entourage effect." Whether terpenes increase bioaccessibility of cannabinoids or vice versa, terpenes have been connected to the flavor and aroma of the plant whereas cannabinoids are well-known to influence effects.

 

Combining these findings, we can conclude that certain flavors and smells will induce specific effects. Have you noticed a cherry flavor in multiple different strains? Those strains have been found to exhibit high CBD profiles. In fact, the general consensus is so assured that we're seeing an influx of high CBD cherry-flavored edibles. This sparks visions of an expansive connoisseurship market, one that could rival wine in sophistication and depth. How many years until we are blown away by the palates and education of those starring in the cannabis version of Somm?

 

Regulatory Testing Will Drive Flavor Profiles

 

Concentrates allow for chemical manipulation of the plant, increasing control over the cannabinoid-terpenoid profile of each strain and opening up a limitless landscape. One day we will reach comprehensive screening that will include all cannabinoids and terpenoids, but we still have a ways to go. As the industry grows and technology develops within the space, standardization of extraction practices take priority, ensuring a clean product free of the chemicals needed to manufacture it. Steep Hill Labs, a leader in cannabis quality assurance, aims to pave the way for certification testing with robust equipment that can process large quantities of product. With regulatory testing will come an influx of data that will increase our understanding of these compounds, how they interact, and how they relate to each strain.

 

This will naturally lead to improved flavor profiles. So far we have identified upwards of 80 cannabinoids and over 100 terpenoids, but haven't reached comprehensive profiling due to low detection levels -- particularly terpenes which dip into the parts per billion. Steep Hill offers profiles of 15 cannabinoids and 8 terpenoids, whereas The Werc Shop specializes in terpenoids, accounting for only 5 cannabinoids but 37 terpenes.

 

Charts like the one below are the beginning stages of these profiles; once we develop methods to account for the entourage effect, we can synthesize these profiles into labels directly applicable to consumers. Where these fall between prescription and nutrition labels, only time will tell.

 

 

 

Strain Effects Fall Along a Scale Between Indica and Sativa, Not One or the Other

 

As these profiles develop, our understanding of sativa, indica, and hybrid deepen. Initially, indica and sativa were used to describe the differences in the botany of cannabis, delineated by their appearance and growing characteristics. Then parallels were drawn between the two and contrasting effects: indica associating with intense body sensation and sleep-induction and sativa associating with psychoactive, high-energy effects.

 

Like most things in life, this characterization tends towards overgeneralization, a point Jeffrey Raber, PhD, of the Werc Shop, aimed to express but was ironically overgeneralized by LA Weekly, prompting blanketed debasement from one of our Leafly staff. Raber's intended point is valid, in that the host of effects cannabis provides operate unilaterally alongside the plant's morphology; yes, some strains will provide uplifting effects and yes, some strains will induce couchlock, but these are contingent upon the strain's cannabinoid and terpenoid make up, not the plant's physical structure.

 

The evolution of these three categories is natural, as language is fluid, but repurposing these terms requires updating our understanding to a continuum ranging from indica to sativa (hybrid marking the middle of the two), as opposed to three separate distinctions.

 

 

 

A Market the Size of Alcohol, But Health-Focused

 

The connoisseurship market will drive the divide between medical and recreational, but both spheres can benefit the other. The pharmaceutical industry can provide the resources to fully understand this plant and harness all its benefits, and recreational will provide the cultural acceptance of the plant as more than a drug. One paramount difference between cannabis and alcohol is the medical component. From creative boosts to increased focus, cannabis allows for a functionality unlike alcohol that makes this burgeoning market all the more exciting. Demoura, co-founder of Steep Hill, reflects on this:

 

 

"[People with ADHD] can usually handle a lot more cannabis than most people. The professionals I know that run businesses and are very successful -- they all dab. Fifteen, twenty million dollars a year -- they're successful -- and they do it because with this new medicine, you can take a tiny bit and get back to work."

 

Murmurs surrounding the ever-deplored big pharma takeover are muted because we understand and can manufacture the product from the ground up. Demoura continued,"The problem with cannabis that you don’t see with Vicodin and the other drugs that make a ton of money: you can’t grow Vicodin in your backyard. That’s why [government has] never had the control they want and why they will never get it."

 

This reality is an interesting challenge for government. Given that prohibiting BHO production risks an increase in DIY production and home explosions, what is the appropriate regulatory action? Where does control end and human trust begin? The same follows for concentrates and dosage -- these products are already a part of the landscape, so how can we ensure safe consumption?

 

If any parallels can be made between cannabis and alcohol, perhaps it's that education is our greatest tool. And the benefits of increasing public knowledge extend beyond safety: once cannabis artisans are producing clean and safe products, they can compete on an even playing field that measures product quality based on composition profiles, not accessibility to information or resources. This is the consumer vision.

 

It will start with the breeders, curating the freshest flower with the most dynamic effects and flavors, all characterized by strain. This will supply both providers and extractors who will harness robust testing to develop profiles for each product, each slapped with a consumer-driven brand. What will be the Budweiser of cannabis? The Patrón?

[Restorium2]

Go and pack yourself a bowl with pine needles grass and tell us how good your substitute pine sensi is. Might smell like pine, but if I'm not totally mistaked, you aren't going to feel liked you smoked pine cannabis at all. How about your skunk smell sack squeasins? Woohoo that will knock your head off. lol Not in a good way ....

[trichcycler]

Move Over, Wine Snobs: Here Come the Weed Snobs

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By Amanda Lewis Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 3:15 AM
Categories: Toke of the Town





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Wake up and smell the terpenes, people! - FLICKR/DENNISWONG Flickr/denniswong
Wake up and smell the terpenes, people!
With all this talk of weed being the new wine, you're probably wondering how long it'll be before you're sitting in a dank lounge somewhere, sniffing a bowl of high-grade cannabis and desperately searching for something intelligent to say to your more cultured pothead companion.

Sure, you can mumble about how you're sooooo high, or comment on how many THC crystals you think you see on the outside of the bud. But if you really want to sound like you know what you're talking about, you're going to need to mention terpenes.

Terpenes are a type of organic compound known for their strong smell. Lots of plants produce them, and lots of other products contain them, including perfumes, aromatherapies, beer and food.

We hardly mention the word when discussing any of these other things, but marijuana connoisseurs are most interested in talking about terpenes. Especially when it comes to the cannabis concentrate known as wax, which can lose some of its terpenes in the purging process.

Mason Cain, the founder of L.A.-based wax company Prime Extracts, says that his product is purified to a precise point to encourage the ideal terpene profile. "If you over purge, you remove the flavor and the terps," Cain says.

But not every wax company believes in letting the plant's inherent terpenes sing out.

Top L.A.-based wax makers Clear Concentrates actually purify their wax so intensely that the terpenes disappear. So they add some back in — and not always to taste like cannabis. Popular flavors of "The Clear" include Pineapple Cheese Cake and Sour Berry.

"People like the funky weird flavors more than they do the regular flavors," says Chris, The Clear's head scientist. "If the Strawberry Cough doesn’t taste enough like strawberry, they get upset."

Chris also says he thinks terpenes are overemphasized among so-called marijuana devotees, and that there are a host of other subtle factors that affect pot products' taste and smell.

Of course, to truly sound like a pro, you’d need to know the names of the individual terpene compounds, what smells and tastes they produce, and which strains you can find them in. But if you’re just looking to keep up, all you need to do is talk about how you can taste or smell the terps, and marvel at how delicious and fragrant they are. You'll immediately be recognized as kindred spirit and welcomed into whatever cannabis community you're trying to get in with. Even if those people have no idea what they’re talking about, either.

[Restorium2]

"If the Strawberry Cough doesn’t taste enough like strawberry, they get upset."

 

Since it's the one I use for an asthma breathing treatment I don't even care what it tastes like.  Are you really talking medical at all?

[trichcycler]

who said anything about smoking pine needles?

ah, that's right, was this the end point of your mental capability perhaps?

[Restorium2]

who said anything about smoking pine needles?

ah, that's right, was this the end point of your mental capability perhaps?

Your 'postings' are leading the reader to believe that terpenes from different kinds of plants are all the same if they smell the same, which is ridiculous. I was giving you a constructive analogy of how your posting logic is failing to the extreme. 

Edited November 14, 2014 by Restorium2

[Restorium2]

who said anything about smoking pine needles?

ah, that's right, was this the end point of your mental capability perhaps?

Yesterday you proposed a commercial enterprise where you sell dirt with pine needles in it to enhance the cannabis that grows in this dirt, make it more like pine sensi.