While exploring cannabis you will need to learn about cannabinoids and terpenes.
We covered cannabinoids previously because these are the most common molecules people associate with cannabis; THC and CBD being the most common. However, despite what you may have heard, how your body reacts to cannabis may be more about the terpenes than the amount of THC. More accurately, it’s how the terpenes and cannabinoids interact, known as the entourage effect.
Terpenes are common molecules found in many common plants. They give plants flavor and smell and act as a defense mechanism to keep predators away. Most of the terpenes in cannabis can be found in other items around the house. For instance, myrcene is found in Mangoes. You also find linalool in lavender.
There are hundreds of terpenes in existence and they all have different properties. They interact with each other and with cannabinoids to create the effect that our bodies have while consuming cannabis. As you might guess, each cannabis strain has its own unique combination of terpenes and, depending on how they were grown, different quantities of each. This is why different cannabis strains have different effects on your body.
To complicate things even more, each of our bodies is unique making their reactions to each strain unique. So the effects that one strain has on my body may not be the same on your body.
To help you navigate the world of terpenes, High Horse has put together the following chart of some of the most common terpenes found in cannabis.