Terpenes (the other good stuff)
What are Terpenes?
Terpenes are essential oils in plants with medicinal properties that influence smell and taste. Terpenes are found throughout the plant kingdom and are the foundation of aromatherapy. Cut a lemon in half and you’ll smell Limonene, walk through the forest and you’ll smell Pinene, crush some lavender and you’ll come across Linalool. Limonene is uplifting, Pinene is energizing and Linalool is associated with sedation and stress relief.
There are more than 200 different terpenes in cannabis and they play a significant role in the “Entourage Effect.” Terpenes directly influence the medicinal properties of cannabinoids and vice versa. They may be the reason that some strains cause relaxation and sedative effects while others encourage an energetic and uplifted state of mind.
Preserving Terpenes
Throughout the process of creating Hemp oil there are many opportunities to destroy the terpenes in the hemp plant. Terpenes are very sensitive to heat and when farmers and processors cut corners, they can lose the vast majority of terpenes very quickly. Leaving the plants to dry in the field causes the sun’s UV rays to burn up the terpenes after just a few hours. Most farmers that field dry will leave their plants in the field for days which devastates terpenes and provides opportunity for mold and mildew to develop on the underside. Other farmers will run their biomass through a drier to speed up the process. Unfortunately, many of these driers operate on high enough temperatures to destroy terpenes again degrading the final product. We utilize the best method for preserving terpenes by air drying our plants in a barn. We hang the plants in our barn and open doors for good airflow and ventilation. This process takes longer (5-7 days) and allows for the best preservation of terpenes.
The second way to lose terpenes lies in the extraction method. Some processors utilize extraction methods that involve high temperatures. Again, this will destroy the terpenes quickly and you are left with a cannabinoid rich extract void of all terpenes. In order to get around this some processors will extract the terpenes before processing the cannabinoids through high heat and then reintroduce those terpenes at the end. We believe this disrupts and alters effectiveness of the “Entourage Effect” that is naturally developed in the plant. In our opinion, nature knows best so why alter or try to improve what the plant is already doing? Some processors intentionally remove the terpenes and then sell them separately from the hemp oil they came from. In summary, it’s very important to make sure the oil you are purchasing has preserved the terpenes without removal and reintroduction to ensure the highest quality oil.
Our extraction process preserves the naturally occurring cannabinoids and terpenes in the same ratios that as they existed in the living plant. We leave the whole plant goodness intact so you get the maximum benefit from our oil.