Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Monoterpenes myrcene and sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene (binds to the human CB2 cannabinoids receptor) and α-humulene are the most common terpene compounds, and are present in most varieties of cannabis strains. The lack of exact standards makes it sometimes difficult for scientists to classify new terpenes.
A terpene is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon based on combinations of the isoprene unit. Terpenoids are compounds related to terpenes, which may include some oxygen functionality or some rearrangement, however the two terms are often used interchangeably.
The provitamin beta carotene is a terpene derivative called a carotenoid. The steroids and sterols in animals are biologically produced from terpenoid precursors. Sometimes terpenoids are added to proteins, e.g., to enhance their attachment to the cell membrane; this is known as isoprenylation.
The terpene alpha-pinene is a major component of the common solvent, turpentine. The one terpene that has major applications is natural rubber (i.e., polyisoprene). The possibility that other terpenes could be used as precursors to produce synthetic polymers has been investigated. Many terpenes have been shown to have pharmacological effects.
Traditional heirloom strains of cannabis and contemporary hybrid varieties vary broadly because terpenes in the essential oils of the flowers, which give the buds their fragrance, and the ratio of cannabinoids, the more than 100 different therapeutically-active compounds, are infinitely variable.
A dried cannabis flower. The short-term effects of cannabis are caused by many chemical compounds in the cannabis plant, including 113 [clarification needed] different cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol, and 120 terpenes, [1] which allow its drug to have various psychological and physiological effects on the human body.
It is widely theorized by scientists and cannabis experts alike that these terpenes and terpenoids contribute significantly to the unique "character" or "personality" of each marijuana strain's unique effects. [18] α-Pinene in particular is thought to reduce the memory deficits commonly reported as a side-effect of THC consumption.
Tetraterpenes are terpenes consisting of eight isoprene units and have the molecular formula C 40 H 64. [1] Tetraterpenoids (including many carotenoids) are tetraterpenes that have been chemically modified, as indicated by the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups.