We recently published a blog on "What are Terpenes and Why Do They Matter". To follow-up on this piece, we decided to publish the most-common questions the Heylo team hears with respect to terpenes. If you have additional questions on terpenes or terpenes in cannabis please comment below.
When you step into the woods of an evergreen forest you are surrounded by pine trees - and alpha-pinene - a terpene that predominates pine needles. Resin from a pine tree is mostly composed of terpenes. It protects the tree and helps it heal from any wounds.
Cannabis, like many plants, first developed terpenes as a way of telling herbivores to stay away and attracting helpful predators and pollinators. We humans have bred cannabis to have exceptionally high levels of terpenes. At some point, breeders noticed that cannabis that smells good also makes us feel good.
Absolutely. The difference between the effects of an "Indica" versus a "Sativa" is mainly in the terpene profile of the plant.
It's unclear. There hasn't been enough research to determine how the effects of terpenes differ depending on source. In Heylo products you will only find native-derived terpenes. That means the terpenes in our oil come from the same cannabis as the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) and all of the other parts of the plant.
Absolutely! Terpenes are light and volatile. The temperature at which you vape or smoke terpenes affects the efficacy and potential harm that terpenes could cause. In 2017 a study was published by Portland State University detailing toxicant formation from dabbing terpenes at high temperatures. They found harmful toxicants such as benzene were formed at the highest temperature ranges of dabbing. Whether dabbing or using a vape cartridge we strongly recommend you use the lowest voltage/temperature possible to produce vapor. It will taste better and preserve medical benefits.
This topic requires further research, but is best to be cautious. The main potential danger with terpenes comes from the compounds they can form at extremely high temperatures. Therefore it is best to vape at lower temperatures to preserve flavor, medical benefits and overall effects.
Hopefully you'll find them right on the box or on the company's website. At Heylo you can find all of our strain's analytical results here and the top 3 terpenes of every strain on the box.
