Decoding Cannabis: THC, CBD, Terpenes, and More

Have you ever looked at the list of ingredients on a cannabis product and thought, “I have no idea what any of this means!”

THC. CBD. Terpenes. Nobody told you that you needed a degree in botany or biochemistry in order to understand this stuff. You just want something that’ll treat your lower back pain. Or you’re just looking to get blazed.

Either way, you need a basic understanding of what’s in these products and how they’re going to affect you. Because the truth is that no two cannabis strains or products are alike. They’re going to do different things and affect you in different ways.

If you’re working with one of our dispensary consultants, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction so that you can find a product that works best for you. But wouldn’t you also like to be empowered with a little bit of consumer knowledge? Wouldn’t you like to walk in to the dispensary and request a particular strain or product, knowing full well that it’s going to deliver the exact results that you want?

In this post, we’ll be decoding cannabis — THC, CBD, terpenes and more –in a way that’s simple and easy for you to understand!

Let’s Start With Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. They’re the active ingredients, i.e. the reason that cannabis makes us feel the way that it does when we consume it.

Without cannabinoids, cannabis would just be a cool-looking plant that smells good. Maybe we’d figure out how to use it in a salad or a casserole, but we probably wouldn’t be smoking it.

Your Body Likes Cannabinoids – Here’s Why:

Your body likes cannabinoids. Really likes them. In fact, your body needs cannabinoids in order to function properly. Which is why your brain produces its own cannabinoids — which we called endocannabinoids.

These endocannabinoids bind with cannabinoid receptors that are located in our brains, organs, connective tissue, glands, and immune system. Together, these endocannabinoids and receptors make up a large part of the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is responsible for helping our bodies maintain homeostasis.

Think of homeostasis as your body’s Goldilocks zone. It’s your body’s attempt to keep your internal systems balanced and in check. For example, if you’re feeling pain, exposed to hot or cold temperatures, or experience hunger pangs, your body’s ECS has the job of bringing you back to that Golidlocks zone by relieving your pain, raising or lowering your body temperature, or telling you to get off your butt and eat something.

Here are some of the body functions that the ECS helps regulate:

• Fertility
• Pregnancy
• Appetite
• Pain sensation
• Mood
• Memory
• Motor control
• Immune system

Your Body is “Cannabis Compatible”

Have you ever been a situation when your cell phone battery is running low, and you’re asking your friends if they have a charger that’s compatible with your phone? It’s all about getting the right plug to fit into that little socket so that you can get power.

Same basic principle applies to your body’s ECS and cannabis. Whereas your body creates endocannabinoids, the cannabis plant produces phytocannabinoids, which are “plant-based” cannabinoids. And these phytocannabinoids are compatible with your ECS in the same way that your naturally-occurring endocannabinoids are.

When you consume cannabis, these phytocannabinoids enter your bloodstream and bind with the cannabinoid receptors that are already “installed” in your body. It’s this compatibility that allows us to reap the countless medical and therapeutic benefits that cannabis offers.

The Top 5 Cannabinoids and What They Do

The cannabis plant contains more than 100 different cannabinoids. Way too many to keep track of!

Truth be told, there are actually 5 major cannabinoids that you should be aware of, as they offer the most sizeable benefits to users. Let’s take a look!

1. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)

The top dog. El número uno. The queen of the cannabinoids. Are there are other valuable cannabinoids worth paying attention to? Sure. But THC is the one that put cannabis on the cultural map.

It’s a psychoactive compound, so when people consume cannabis and feel a wave of euphoria, bliss, or whatever you want to call it, they’ve got THC to thank.

The potential benefits of THC include:

• Pain relief
• Relieves nausea and vomiting
• Neuroprotectant
• Sleep aid
• Relieves PTSD
• Appetite stimulant
• Anti-bacterial
• Antioxidant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Bronchodilator
• Muscle relaxant
• Anticonvulsant

2. CBD (cannabidiol)

These days, who hasn’t heard of CBD? But if you missed the news story about Carl’s Jr. making CBD-infused hamburgers, or about all the celebrities who swear by this beneficial compound, consider this your introduction.

What really distinguishes CBD from THC is that it’s non-psychoactive. You won’t experience any blissed-out euphoria or intense intoxication. For some people, that might not sound very exciting. However, if you’re someone who wants to enjoy the medical benefits of cannabis without getting “baked,” CBD-based products are your best options.

These are some of the potential health benefits of CBD:

• Anti-inflammation
• Antioxidant
• Pain relief
• Anti-anxiety
• Sleep aid
• Muscle relaxant
• Skin care
• Anti-seizure

3. CBC (cannabichromene)

CBC is a lesser known, non-psychoactive cannabinoid that offers the following health benefits:

• Could inhibit the growth of cancer cells (more research needed)
• Pain relief
• Anti-inflammatory
• Promotes brain health
• Fights acne
• Anti-depressant

4. CBN (cannabinol)

Most of us don’t like the taste of dried-out bud, but here’s a fun fact: when THC is exposed to light, heat, and air for long periods of time, it converts to the cannabinoid CBN. And CBN can potentially offer the following benefits:

• Pain relief
• Antibacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Appetite stimulant

CBN is also believed to be a sedative. Most dispensary-bought flower won’t contain enough CBN to make much of an impact, but concentrates and edibles, such as EPC’s Good Night Tincture do contain large amounts of this non-psychoactive cannabinoid.

5. CBG (cannabigerol)

Finally, there’s CBG. Here’s another fun fact: in addition to being non-psychoactive, this cannabinoid manifests during the early growth cycle of the cannabis plant before it later converts into other cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and CBC.

CBG may offer the following health benefits:

• Treatment for glaucoma
• Anti-inflammatory
• Acts as a neuroprotectant
• Blocks tumor/cancer cell growth
• Antibacterial
• Appetite stimulant

Now that we’ve covered the 5 major cannabinoids, let’s move on to terpenes.

What are Terpenes?

While cannabinoids play a huge role in how cannabis affects you, terpenes come in at a close second.

Terpenes are aromatic chemical compounds found in a wide variety of plants. When you peel an orange and get that strong citrusy smell, you’re smelling terpenes. Or when you walk into a pine forest and pick up that distinct pine smell? Again, that’s terpenes.

But terpenes do more than just make your cannabis smell and taste a certain way. They also have therapeutic benefits just like their cannabinoid neighbors. Furthermore, a strain’s terpene profile will determine how it will affect you, whether you’ll be sedated and sleepy, alert and energized, or somewhere between those two states.

That’s right! Terpenes are basically what make sativas, hybrids, and indicas behave the way that they do!

The Top 7 Terpenes

Over 100 different types of terpenes have been identified in the cannabis plant. But for the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on the seven major terpenes you’re likely to come across when you purchase cannabis products.

1. Limonene

Found in: citrus fruits, rosemary, juniper, peppermint

Smells like: citrus

Good for treating: anxiety, depression, inflammation, pain, cancer, stress

2. Pinene

Found in: pine needles, rosemary, basil, parsley, dill

Smells like: pine

Good for treating: asthma, pain, ulcers, anxiety, cancer, fatigue

3. Myrcene

Found in: mango, lemongrass, thyme, hops

Smells like: cardamon, cloves, earthy, herbs

Good for treating: insomnia, pain, inflammation, stress, anxiety

4. Caryophyllene

Found in: black pepper, cloves, cinnamon

Smells like: pepper, cloves

Good for treating: pain, anxiety, depression, ulcers, stress

5. Ocimene

Found in: mint, parsley, pepper, basil, mangoes, orchids

Smells like: sweet herbs, woody

Good for treating: certain viruses, funguses and bacteria, nasal congestion

6. Linalool

Found in: lavender

Smells like: flowers

Good for treating: anxiety, depression, insomnia, pain, inflammation

7. Terpinolene

Found in: nutmeg, tea trees, conifers, apples, cumin, lilacs

Smells like: pine, flowers, herbs

Good for treating: stress, insomnia, cancer, certain bacteria and funguses

The Entourage Effect

Nowadays, it’s easy to purchase cannabis products that only contain THC or only contain CBD. But as you can see from all the cannabinoids and terpenes listed above, it would seem that cannabis functions best when all these compounds are working together.

This is a phenomenon that researchers have dubbed “the entourage effect” – the idea being that the concert action of all these cannabinoids and terpenes is far more powerful than the mere sum of their individual effects. For example, both CBD and the terpene pinene are believed to counteract some of the negative side effects of THC.

Putting it All Together

Hopefully, you can use this blog post as a primer to familiarize yourself with the different chemical components of THC. The next time you walk into the dispensary, you’ll have a little bit more knowledge under your belt, which will go a long way towards helping you find the products that are best for you.

But of course, if you need help or have any questions about cannabinoids or terpenes, feel free to stop by any of our three locations — Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana West, and Henderson — and one of our dispensary consultants will be happy to assist you. All of our consultants go through a rigorous training process, so if anyone can help you decode cannabis, they can!

And remember, you can always place an order online for either pickup or delivery!