Medical Infusions
November 3, 2024
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So you read somewhere that a certain herb is great for whatever symptom ails you at the time… and off you go to grab tea
Plants are wonderful, medicinal gifts from mother nature, but sometimes they need a little boost. In order to understand why we added terpenes, you need to first understand what your endocannabinoid system (ECS) is.
Since there is so much science behind this term now, even Harvard Medical School has jumped on this health wagon!
Many of you may have heard of the transmitter systems within our bodies, such as the sympathetic nervous system, which gives us our fight-or-flight response. Fewer have heard of the more recently discovered endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is amazing when you consider that the ECS is critical for almost every aspect of our moment-to-moment functioning.
Did you know that our ECS regulates and controls many of our most critical bodily functions such as learning and memory, emotional processing, sleep, temperature control, pain control, inflammatory and immune responses, and eating.
*The ECS is currently at the centre of renewed international research and drug development*
When we hear the term endocannabinoid we think “oh, that’s cannabis” aka weed or pot. But it’s not (ok it’s not ONLY that). It’s plants too! Lavender, pine cones, citrus peels, cloves… all of them have a familiar scent (that’s the terpenes!)
Where is this ECS?
The ECS is found everywhere throughout our brains and bodies. The “cannabinoid” receptors in the brain — our CB1 receptors — outnumber many of the other receptor types on the brain. They act like traffic cops to control the levels and activity of most of the other neurotransmitters. They regulate things by either turning up or down the activity of whichever system needs to be adjusted, like hunger, temperature, or alertness.
To stimulate these receptors, our bodies produce molecules called endocannabinoids, yup that’s right WE produce them.
The first endocannabinoid that was discovered was named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ananda for bliss, seems fitting doesn’t it.
A second type of cannabinoid receptor, the CB2 receptor, exists mostly in our immune tissues and is critical to helping control our immune functioning.
It’s important for its role in modulating intestinal inflammation, contraction, and pain in inflammatory bowel conditions. (See diagram below)
This is where terpenes come in.
Some of the plants in our formulations are actually in the cannabis family, like Hops, Hackberry, Blue Sandalwood, Tulsi (holy basil) and a few others. They won’t get you high, but they will hit that ECS! It’s why formulations with these herbs work really well with our terpene blends.
So what happens when we formulate herbal remedies using terpenes? They become SUPER remedies. They hit the target faster and more efficiently. Think of terpenes as the gps system of a formulation, it tells the remedy where it needs to do and jacks up some of those needed properties. Not that herbs need any help doing their job, but much like the “driver” herb in a formulation, terpenes add another potent element.
As a Certified Cannabis Sommelier I learned years ago the importance of terpenes, however being genetically unable to partake in cannabis products I wanted to find a way to utilize these marvels without the cannabis itself. Not just for myself but for the large amount of the population that simply prefers not to indulge in this medicinal plant.
Let’s start off by saying that terpenes themselves are NOT essential oils. While all essential oils contain terpenes they also contain many other compounds while terpenes consist only of themselves.
Terpenes are everywhere!
When we think of terpenes we think of them as being responsible for the way a plant smells, and mostly with regards to cannabis, but did you know they are found in abundance in all sorts of herbs, fruit, and all sorts of plants!
Lavender contains linalool, Pine has alpha and beta pinene, lemons and citrus fruit contain limonene… Your kitchen spices like sage, cloves, black pepper and thyme… all contain terpenes. Plants everywhere contain terpenes, which is exactly where we extract ours from. Plants, not cannabis.
Our terpene blends:
*Not derived from cannabis*
*Do not contain THC, CBD, VG, PG, PEG, MCT or Vitamin E*
When reading about each one of our herbal remedies have a peek at the terpene content – if it’s got terpenes it’s going to be more potent than any others on the market (due to our patent pending process).
In some cases will be able to search the individual terpenes to see not only why we have chosen to incorporate them, but also what amazing additional benefits they may offer. While the entire terpene profile will not be listed (for obvious proprietary reasons) you will be able to see the ones added in higher concentrations.
Get to know your favourites, the world of terpenes is fascinating.
We love adding terpenes to our tinctures in specific blends, developed with each tincture in mind.You might see some that look very similar and wonder why don’t we just stick to one of them, but those subtle differences make the massive differences when added to each formulation.
Studies suggest that terpenes have their own innate properties that can help to regulate the body’s hormone levels and achieve the restful state that is necessary for sleep.
Different terpenes can affect the body in different ways that are conducive to stress relief, energy, clarify, even sleep. Our sleep terpene blends aren’t just for sleep, they tackle lots of issues including:
- Easing inflammation and discomfort
- Reducing anxiety and stress
- Shortening the time it takes to fall asleep
- Making it easier to stay asleep
- Aiding concentration and alertness during waking hours
There is evidence to suggest that terpenes work by stimulating the body’s gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. This system acts as a neurotransmitter, facilitating communications between brain cells.
Have a look at some of our favourite ones
Photo credit: Leafly reference guide.
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