CHAPTER 2
EFFICACY
The next question we need to explore is "Do Terpene additives really work?"
The answer to this is multifaceted.
First, let's establish your expectations. What are you looking to achieve from the use of terpenes?
We divided our goals into two segments; physiological and psychological effects.
On the physiological front, we were a bit disappointed. With one exception, no one found the addition of terpenes brought any additional benefit over our unadorned cannabis medication for any physical maladies.
The one bright spot occurred with our eldest member, a 75 year old male. When it comes to strenuous work, this gentleman is an anomaly and can humble individuals half his age. Unfortunately, at the end of a physically stressful day, despite his regular cannabis medication, he experiences moderate muscle and joint pain. He suffers from stage 3 renal failure and most over the counter pain meds are not an option. Tramadol is his remedy of choice. Over the past several months, he's tried numerous strain mimicking terpene additives with little or no success. Recently, he did a custom blend of limonene, alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, linalool and myrcene in equal proportions. With the addition of some of this concoction to his cannabis medication, he avers it to be 80-90% as effective as tramadol. Very promising and our group will definitely research this a bit further.
During the many collective trials we performed, we adhered to an essential philosophy. In order to avoid "suggestive bias", we refused to share our personal results until all had an opportunity to try the particular product we were testing. After we all had tried a certain combination several times, we had an in depth discussion to share our opinions. While there were some occasional exceptions, we were generally in agreement with our results, to varying degrees.
From a psychological aspect, we are unanimously pleased. We found the addition of several of the terpenes very rewarding. Whether seeking an elevated mood or simply a relaxed evening with a book, there's an appropriate terpene available.
Now, let's further explore the question of efficacy. We have found that all terpenes are NOT created equally. Some are effective and some are not. Additionally, some presented unpleasant effects for some of us.
As a group, we found indica dominant strain Terpenes added less of an effect than those mimicking sativa strains. We placed dogwalker og and Tahoe og at the top of our list for indicas but the effects were nothing that prompted any of us to revisit either of these. I actually found the dogwalker most unpleasant; very lethargic and prompting an uneasy depressing state.
Conversely, we found many of the sativa blends most enjoyable. Unanimously, we chose super lemon haze as our fave. I was in agreement but a little less enthusiastically than the others. Girl Scout cookies, Durban Poison, green crack and the sativa blend were also at the top of our pick list. Clementine was the biggest disappointment, adding absolutely nothing for any of us.
Custom blending with isolates is absolutely overwhelming and can be quite confusing. Traits associated with a particular isolate can totally disappear when mixed with others. Terpenoline is often prescribed for insomnia but with the addition of minute amounts of other terpenes can actually be quite energizing. A-pinene or limonene by themselves offer little effect but by combining the two, it creates a very pleasant effect. We consistently ran into contradictory examples and have deduced custom blends are a trial and error crap shoot.
Bottom line; yes Terpene additives do work but there are exceptions. Temper your expectations and be selective with your choices. True Terpenes/Buy Terpenes offer sample packs that I'd definitely recommend as a cost effective trial of several strain related Terpenes.
To be continued.......