Lab Results Explained - Terpenes

Lab Results Explained Pt 3 Header Image.jpg

Articles in Lab Results Series

[Part 1] Why Lab Results are so Important

[Part 2] Lab Results Explained - CBD & THC

[Part 3] Lab Results Explained - Heavy Metals & Pesticides

CBD Lab Results Explained – Part 3, Hemp Terpenes

As more hemp research is done we continue to discover more about not only CBD, but other active molecules contained in the hemp plant.

The most well-known hemp molecule currently is the major cannabinoid called CBD, and for a while it was believed that CBD was the entire driving force behind how hemp products affect our bodies. As hemp research advances however, it is becoming more widely accepted that a group of secondary compounds known as terpenes may play a much bigger role in the physiological effects hemp can have on us.

In this article, we’ll tackle the most common questions that we get at Periodic Caramels in regards to hemp terpenes; the main two of which are:

“Are terpenes CBD?”

and

“Are terpenes safe?”

Let’s begin in short - no, terpenes are not CBD, nor are they even cannabinoids like CBD.
They are two different types of molecules entirely.

Terpenes are very small aromatic compounds responsible for how things smell and taste.
Many people believe that terpenes are also a part of the driving factor in the nuanced effects felt when using a full spectrum hemp product or CBD products with terpenes.

In regards to terpenes being safe… you may be surprised to know that if they weren’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article right now - because you’ve been consuming terpenes for most of your life!

Terpenes aren’t just responsible for how hemp smells. These same terpenes are what give an orange its citrusy smell, or your Christmas tree its wonderful pungent piney aroma.

If you’re a craft beer drinker you may be one of the biggest terpene fans of all, because that delicious hoppy smell and taste you get with a fresh IPA comes from the terpenes at work in the hop plant (like Humulene, for example).

In fact, hops and hemp are actually close cousins in the plant kingdom, and they share lots of common terpenes. That’s right - there are even “hemp terpenes” in your beer! Terpenes are everywhere!

The goal of this article is to focus on how to understand terpene testing results so you can better understand which terpenes might be influencing your CBD effects.

However, interpreting the results is really just the key to the Ferrari.
If you want to learn how to “drive” your CBD experience, you’ll need to answer this all-important question.

“What do hemp terpenes do?”

Fortunately, you can find a breakdown of the predominant individual terpenes found in hemp products right here - including what they smell like, how they might impact effects, and some potential medical benefits that scientists are now exploring!

Once you know the names and effects of common hemp terpenes, you can start to understand the real meaning behind the terpene profiles you’re seeing on your CBD lab results.

Terpene lab results can be a bit intimidating at first glance.
The example below shows an enormous list of terpenes that were tested for in this analysis.

The good news is - as you can see - the majority of these terpenes listed show “ND” for the result which means Non-Detect, or essentially zero.

These results show only 12 terpenes that were present in noticeable concentrations for this flower, and to simplify it even more, we’re really only going to focus on the two terpenes highest in concentration.

In this example, that would be B-Myrcene and B-Caryophyllene. The main key is to identify the dominant terpenes in the product and understand their studied and anecdotally predicted effects.

Given what we currently know about terpenes there is believed to be an “Entourage Effect” that may well mean all twelve of the present terpenes will impact the physiological effects in potentially noticeable ways, but as of now there just hasn’t been enough work done to prove that out, much less to start harnessing the power of combined Entourage Effects with all the terpenes and cannabinoids at play.

So for now, let’s keep it simple.

Identify the 2-3 dominant terpenes in your CBD lab results, and hop over to the Periodic Caramels Terpene page to read what effects are most likely from a product containing those terpenes.

Based on the two most dominant terpenes below, we would probably expect this tested hemp & CBD products made from it to have a very relaxing effect profile overall which could provide feelings of muscle relaxation, sedation, and possibly stress & anxiety relief for some consumers at the right dose.

Similar to our earlier discussions on CBD & THC potency analysis and confirming the purity of CBD from heavy metals & pesticide contamination, there could also be a variety of ways that terpene results are made available to the end consumer.

Here’s a look at another way we’ve seen terpene results presented.

This presentation is nice for CBD beginners because it provides a summary of the potency analysis along with the dominant terpenes, as well as a summary of the expected effects based on those terpenes. Very user friendly!

The one caveat here is just be aware that something like this is not the official third party lab analysis, but rather a reformatting of the data along with the production company’s interpretation to make it more useful at-a-glance for new customers.

Review & consider this information, but always verify for yourself on the lab results! We would only accept these results for producing our terpene-rich hemp caramels because we’ve verified them with the actual third party lab results.

If you’re buying from a company you already know and trust then fantastic, but we would highly recommend trying to find the actual lab results like those shown above whenever trying a new CBD product.
The key to a positive and repeatable CBD experience is knowledge & transparency.

For a visual guide on how to interpret complete purity & potency in your CBD edibles, see our lab results page for a video tutorial from our founder!