Take a deep inhale… an introduction to Terpenes
…and exhale. Hopefully you smelled something as fragrant as hemp!
Scent connoisseurs will notice that hemp plants can smell different from one another – from citrusy or spicy to earthy and piney, to almost floral. That’s terpenes at work.
What terpenes do for their plants
Terpenes are the chemical compounds responsible for a plant’s aromas, flavours and colours. They attract pollinators, repel pests, and allow plants to communicate with each other about nearby threats.
They’re a key component of essential oils stored in the plant’s resin glands. This setup helps them protect its cells from damage caused by heat, drought, and UV radiation from intense sunlight.
Hemp is exceptionally rich in these ingenious phytochemicals. Researchers have identified some 545 distinct compounds in the plant, including over 200 terpenes, all working in molecular harmony to sustain hemp-life.
What terpenes do for YOU
Terpenes are like the the special sauce, enhancing many therapeutic benefits from cannabinoids including treatment of: pain, dermatitis, inflammation, depression, anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, cancer (yes really), and fungal & bacterial infections. Even on their own, terpenoids are therapeutically potent.
Scientists are still learning to codify these remarkable chemical compounds that traditional knowledge and wisdom have long venerated. While the benefits of terpenes together are greater than the sum of their parts, studies have uncovered a few notable terpene-stars:
Linalool: sleep aid and anti-anxiety
Limonene: anti-fungal
Caryophyllene: anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial
Pinene: memory retention, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic
The synergy of different terpenes and cannabinoids that combine is called the ‘entourage effect’ by scientists. Evidence suggests these combinations derive from selective breeding during ancient cultivation; in other words, humans and hemp have been co-creating a variety of medicines since the beginning. A reminder to be cautious of knowledge systems that strive for strict taxonomies.
At Hempen, we lean more towards that ancestral wholeness. Rather than going for specific terpenoids, we favour full-spectrum and cold-pressed extraction for our hemp oils – to get the most of terpenes’ magic. More & more varied terpenes in each batch means more of their medicinal benefits – including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, analgesic, and even anticancer. It also allows us to better preserve the unique character of each harvest, so that every Hempen product is a fresh sensation of the ever-changing Oxfordshire countryside.
