Terpene

Terpenes are volatile aromatic compounds that give cannabis, conifers, citrus, and countless other plants their characteristic scents and flavors.

Plants produce terpenes in the same glandular structures that make cannabinoids, so a whole-plant hemp extract carries both. Common cannabis terpenes include myrcene, limonene, pinene, linalool, and beta-caryophyllene, and a laboratory terpene panel reports each by weight. The mix differs from one chemovar to the next and is the main reason two hemp extracts can smell and taste quite different.

Terpenes are not cannabinoids, and with the partial exception of beta-caryophyllene they do not act on cannabinoid receptors. The idea that terpenes and cannabinoids work together, often called the entourage effect, is widely repeated but remains a hypothesis; research is largely preclinical and clinical synergy has not been demonstrated. Terpenes are common in foods and plants that pets encounter, and concentrated essential oils are a separate safety topic a veterinarian can address.