Monthly Archives: July 2019

Sour Space Candy. Island Time. Berry Blossom.

They’re fun names to say, sure, but they’re also much more than just cool branding. Hemp is a plant that comes in many different strains, each with its own unique history and, more importantly, its own profile of terpenes, phytonutrients, and cannabinoids.

There are countless hemp strains out there, owing to the millennia-long history of people creating hybrid plants and growing hemp that suits their particular needs. Knowing the cannabinoid profile of each and every strain on the market would be a full-time job in its own right. It isn’t entirely necessary, though. Knowing just a few of the most common strains and what makes them unique can go a long way in finding a hemp flower that works for you.

Indica and Sativa Hemp Strains: What’s the Deal?

You’ve probably heard people talk about Indica strains and Sativas trains before, as the terms are used commonly by both medical cannabis budtenders and in the hemp industry. The terms Indica and Sativa are a sticky subject, to say the least. Botanists, growers, and sellers are often using the terms to mean totally different things, and they are often misused or misunderstood. So, what do these words mean and do they actually matter?

Let’s back up a bit:

Cannabis sativa is the botanical name given to the cannabis plant. It was classified and named by “the father of modern botany” Carl Linnaeus in 1753, long before the modern distinction between hemp and marijuana was made. Linnaeus mentions his interest in growing C.

Hemp plants are complex living things made up of countless chemical compounds. While we often focus on the cannabinoids—those compounds unique to the cannabis plant—researchers have been looking into many of the other elements of hemp plants, often with promising results.

Terpenes are one of the most commonly examined compound types. Terpenes are organic compounds found in a wide variety of plants and some insects. You’ve almost certainly come into contact with plants that produce terpenes and ingested fruit or plant matter containing them. They’re so incredibly common you probably don't pay any attention to them, but you should—studies conducted around the world suggest certain terpenes could help with everything from anxiety to protecting cell lining. While research is still in early phases–often only in animal testing–the way terpenes in hemp interact with cannabinoids is of particular interest.

What Are Terpenes and Terpenoids?

Terpenes are a class of hydrocarbons made up of five-carbon isoprene units and are classified by the total number of isoprene units. Classifications include monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, and tetraterpenes. In other words, terpenes are the building blocks that make a diverse set of naturally occurring compounds in plants and animals.

These compounds are typically odorous and serve diverse functions including defending plants from hungry herbivores—either by creating an odor that wards off plant-eaters or by attracting predators. While these odors repel insects, they have the opposite effect on humans. Terpenes are the primary constituents of essential oils, which are commonly used by perfumers and aromatherapists.

Terpenes are further modified into terpenoids, which are ter