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What are terpenes in cannabis?

Terpenes are the most plentiful aroma compounds in cannabis flower, such as myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, and linalool, and they are not unique to cannabis: the same molecules make pepper peppery, lavender floral, and citrus bright.

What the THC number does not tell you

It is easy to shop by THC percentage alone. But the percentage tells you how much THC a product holds, not how it will smell or taste. The terpenes on its lab panel are a better guide to that, though a strain's most distinctive notes often come from compounds a standard panel does not report. Whether terpenes also change how cannabis feels, working alongside the cannabinoids, is a different question, and an open one. The idea that they do is called the entourage effect, and the research on it so far is limited, with mixed results.

Six terpenes worth knowing

Each terpene has a signature aroma. The lean is the strain category retail tradition pairs that terpene with: a convention, not something a lab measures. Terpenes are not the whole aroma, either: studies in 2021 and 2023 traced the skunky note many strains carry, and the distinct citrus, sweet or savory notes of some, to other compounds found in far smaller amounts.

The leans and the labels

Notice the leans above. They follow retail expectation: myrcene-heavy flower is expected to read as indica, and terpinolene- and limonene-forward flower as sativa. Research finds the traditional labels a strain carries track its chemistry poorly, though, which is the clearest reason to read the terpenes and not just the category. There is more on that in indica, sativa, hybrid.

How to use this when you shop

Start with aroma, and treat the panel as a clue rather than a promise: if you prefer citrus, limonene-forward products are a place to start; if you prefer floral, linalool. Our menu lists lab-tested terpene information on many products, and the budtenders can point you to a profile by its aroma. The habit worth building is simple: read past the THC number to the terpenes.

Browse the menu and look for the terpene profile on the products that catch your eye.

General education only, not medical or health advice. Cannabis affects everyone differently. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.