A number of years ago there was a concerted effort by the cannabis-related media to point out the truth behind cannabis brands. One of the topics they focused on was the importance of a medical cannabis product’s cannabinoid and terpene profile. Now, newly released research indicates they were onto something.
The media made a point of harping on the fact that marijuana brand names were not a reliable indicator of medical efficacy, potency, etc. Rather, brand names were marketing tools only. Writers and bloggers went on to point out that patients should be less concerned about brand names and more concerned about product ingredients. That is where cannabinoids and terpenes come in.
Both Are Found in Cannabis Plants
Cannabinoids and terpenes are both found in every variety of cannabis. And in fact, the strains of cannabis utilized for medical purposes contain more than a hundred cannabinoids and terpenes combined. Medical users are mostly after THC and CBD – at least in terms of desirable cannabinoids. But what about terpenes?
Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in plant life. They are the same compounds that make a pine tree smell like a pine tree and a lemon smell like a lemon. Years ago, cannabis processors and manufacturers started wondering if they could alter the medical efficacy of their products by adding certain terpenes. That takes us to the previously mentioned study.
Research Looks Promising
A group of researchers partially funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied terpenes and their effects as pain relievers. Their research, published in the Pharmacological Reports journal, looked at four terpenes in particular: alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, geraniol, and linalool.
There were no human subjects involved in the study. Rather, researchers used laboratory mice. Some of the mice underwent a paw-incision surgery while others were subjected to lab-induced fibromyalgia symptoms. Researchers then treated the mice with the four terpenes and measured their mechanical sensitivity.
All four terpenes did seem to help alleviate pain. They worked well enough that the researchers recommend further study. They wrote in their conclusions that the three “may be a viable medication for post-operative and fibromyalgia pain relief.”
A Lot We Don’t Know
I am fascinated by this study simply because there is a lot about medical cannabis we do not know. For example, a number of studies have shown that people find pain relief with cannabis. Other studies have shown just the opposite. The big thing is that, when it does work, we don’t know how it works.
Maybe we have been barking up the wrong tree by focusing so heavily on THC and CBD. Perhaps those two cannabinoids don’t do much for pain relief in and of themselves. Maybe the real relief is the result of cannabinoids and terpenes combined.
Pain Is the Big One
I am in the camp that says cannabinoids and terpenes need more research as possible pain medications. Right now, pain is the ‘big one’ in terms of why people use cannabis medicinally. That is certainly the case in Utah, where Salt Lake City’s dispensary Beehive Farmacy’s says the majority of people visiting their medical cannabis pharmacy are chronic pain patients.
There may be multiple mechanisms behind cannabis and its pain-relieving capabilities. Or there could be just one. We do know that millions of people now use medical cannabis to relieve pain. It is obviously working for them. Now we need to figure out the mechanisms behind it.
Who knows? Future research may reveal that the biggest benefit of medical cannabis is found in its terpenes rather than its cannabinoids. Such revelations would certainly turn things upside down.
