Botanical Terpenes vs Hemp Terpenes- What’s the difference?

Oct 26, 2021

Botanical Terpenes vs Hemp Terpenes- What’s the difference

What are Terpenes?

Perhaps if you’re new to Cannabis products, you might hear a lot about “Terpenes”.  If you aren’t all that familiar with them, you may not know what they are, where they come from, and what they do.  Then there’s “Hemp Terpenes” and “Botanical Terpenes”- what’s the deal?

Terpenes are a class of aromatic compounds found in many plants and give those plants many characteristics.  One you probably notice right off the bat without even trying a Cannabis product is how they smell.  There are different varieties of them and when they are combined in different ratios, they start to smell like familiar things – pine trees, citrus, wood, etc.  That’s because they are in plants all around us, and they are even in your morning coffee.

Monoterpenes

Monoterpenes are very light oils that evaporate or boil off at very low temperatures and are part of the composition of many of your favorite smells.  For instance, a terpene called Linalool is the main component in Lavender Oil.  Terpenes are found in many different types of plants and sometimes the names resemble the plants they come from.  One example is A-Pinene, which is in fact found in pine trees, just like it sounds.  Another example is Limonene, which is found in lemons, limes, and oranges.

However, these same oils are present in Cannabis plants as well.  They are responsible for all the different smells you might associate with them.  Why does it matter where we get our Terpenes from? The simplest answer is the same as it is for CBD/Hemp oil- the spectrum.  Terpenes that come from other plants- or “Botanical” sources – are refined down to Terpene “Isolates”- which are 99%+ pure compounds- so a bottle of D-Limonene only has D-Limonene.  However, when D-Limonene is present in Cannabis plants, it’s accompanied by other components that make it smell and taste more plant-like.  That results in better effects and more authentic flavor.

Terpenes even have therapeutic properties as mentioned in this article.  To learn more about Cannabis products, and to keep an eye on new product releases, make sure to stay tuned to our Blog!  Until the next time, remember the Doc Jon’s mantra- “Small Batch, Big Difference.”