When you purchase CBD gummies, it’s likely that you do so with the CBD in mind, of course, plus other complementary ingredients that might help you relax or sleep, provide a nutritional boost, or some other beneficial effects.** But there are other hemp compounds in your gummies beyond the CBD, itself. Among them are a group of organic compounds called terpenes. Beyond smell and flavour, terpenes also provide various health and wellness benefits, making them a valuable component for any CBD product.**
So, let’s get to know CBD’s cannabis cousins, those wonderful terpenes, a little better. In this article, we’ll cover what exactly terpenes are and how terpenes work for the hemp plant, and how terpenes interact with your body when you use CBD products.
CBD & Terpenes
Let’s begin our terpenes and gummies article with a quick refresher course on CBD.
CBD & Cannabinoids
The cannabis compounds that most people are familiar with are cannabinoids. These include CBD, THC, CBG, CBC, and more. In fact, there are over a hundred different cannabinoids in hemp. Today, we’ll concentrate on the low-THC form of cannabis, called hemp, since that’s the plant used to make legal CBD-infused products. Hemp contains other health-boosting compounds, as well, including flavonoids, fatty acids, and the stars of today’s programme: terpenes.**
Broad Spectrum CBD vs Other Types of CBD Oils
One quick note about CBD: When you purchase gummies or other CBD products, you should understand that there are different types of CBD oils that can be used in their formulations.
Full spectrum CBD is CBD with all of the other compounds of the hemp plant, including all cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and healthy fatty acids. Broad spectrum CBD is that same CBD oil, but with detectable levels of THC filtered out. Still, broad spectrum CBD is a robust CBD oil that contains terpenes and other natural hemp compounds. CBD isolate, on the other hand, contains only CBD (99% pure CBD, in fact). All other hemp compounds have been removed from CBD isolate, including terpenes.
CBD & the Entourage Effect
With full and broad spectrum CBD oils, the user can experience the Entourage Effect.** The Entourage Effect is a term used to describe the phenomenon by which CBD and other hemp compounds, when taken together, actually work together to boost one another’s effects.** This includes terpenes. When you take CBD with terpenes, they actually bolster each other’s effectiveness, thanks to the Entourage Effect!** This is a good reason to look for broad spectrum gummies, rather than CBD isolate gummies.
What Are Terpenes?
Now that we understand cannabinoids, CBD, and the Entourage Effect, let’s take a closer look at terpenes. Terpenes are chemical compounds that naturally occur in plants. Terpenes create a plant’s scent, and are particularly abundant in tea, herbs (like sage and thyme), citrus fruits and, of course, cannabis.
Cannabis is a notable source of terpenes. In fact, there are roughly 400 known terpenes in hemp plants. Terpenes are what give cannabis its signature smell and flavour.
In nature, terpenes serve some important functions for their respective plants. Terpenes attract pollinators, protect against potentially destructive weather, repel insects, and warn away grazing animals.
Terpenes are used similarly by humans: in scents to attract mates, in aromatics to calm or energise ourselves, in topical products (such as creams and bath products) to soothe our skin and tissues and, of course, in products for flavour.** Terpenes are found in high concentrations in essential oils, putting the “aroma” in aromatherapy.
What Do Terpenes Do?
We know that terpenes can add smell and flavour, but they also have other beneficial effects. Like cannabinoids, terpenes interact with receptors in our endocannabinoid system, as well as other receptors in the body.**
Terpenes also help you absorb cannabinoids (including CBD) and other terpenes, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of your CBD experience.**
We can benefit from terpenes through taste by absorbing them through the membranes under our tongues, through smell by absorbing them through our olfactory and respiratory systems, and even through our skin by using them in essential oils and topicals.**
Common Terpenes
Here are some of the terpenes found in hemp that you’re likely to find in most of our CBD-infused products.
Limonene
This terpene is found in the cannabis plant and in citrus plants. Many people look to limonene for wellness benefits and to help with mood.**
Pinene
This terpene is found in pine, as well as orange peels and plants like eucalyptus and rosemary. For centuries, people have used the pinene terpene in different forms for its wellness benefits.**
Linalool
This is the terpene you’ll find in lavender and chamomile. This terpene has a bright botanical scent with a spicy flourish, and has been used for minor muscle relief. As you might guess because of its presence in lavender and chamomile, this terpene is also used for its calming properties.**
Caryophyllene (a.k.a. Humulene)
This spicy terpene is found in ginger, hops, cloves, black pepper, and many other plants. This is another terpene used for calming, as well as wellness benefits.**
Terpenes & CBD Gummies
All of our gummies at CBDfx are made with broad spectrum CBD. That means all of our gummy CBD products can be considered terpene infused gummies. We also carry several terpene-rich CBD capsules and CBD edibles, CBD oil tinctures, CBD topicals, and other CBD products. Here’s a quick rundown of our UK collection of CBD gummies.
Our broad spectrum gummies include Original Mixed Berry CBD Gummies, CBD Gummies with Apple Cider Vinegar, CBD Multivitamin Gummies for Men, CBD Multivitamin Gummies for Women, CBD Gummies with Turmeric and Spirulina, and CBD Gummies for Sleep. Each CBD gummy serving contains 50 mg of CBD.
The Last Word on CBD & Terpenes
We hope this article has given you a better understanding of what terpenes are and what these compounds do. From delivering pleasing scents and flavours to imparting soothing, beneficial effects, terpenes are our plant-based pals. Try one of our many CBD terpenes products today and feel the difference!
Looking for an alternative to CBD-infused gummies? Try our terpene-rich CBD Soft Gel Capsules!
