Xora's Cannabis Compendium (All things Good, and Ganja) #3

Xora's Cannabis Compendium (All things Good, and Ganja)

Part 3 - Terpenes - The Magic Scent

Terpenes, the building blocks of scent and taste in plants and possibly the gateway to natural medicine, are a mixed class of hydrocarbons. They are a subclass of prenyllipids, a class comprised of terpenes, prenylquinones, and sterols. Terpenes role in nature is rich and complex, including microorganism and animal attraction, microorganism and animal repellent, antibacterial, even anti-inflammatory in some cases. Terpenes are what make up the smell/taste of plants, and are a large component of there resins, oils, and extracts. Terpenes are produced in all plants, and even some insects. Generally defined by the number of terpene units in the molecule, they include Hemiterpenes which have a singles isoprene unit, Monoterpenes which consist of two isoprene units, Sesquiterpenes consist of three, Diterpenes four, Sesterterpens five, Triterpenes have six, and Tetraterpenes have eight. Many diterpenes have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. Examples of monoterpenes are pinene, nerol, citral, camphor, menthol, and limonene. Examples of sesquiterpenes are nerolidol and farnesal. Examples of diterpenes include phytol and Vitamin A. Squalene is an example of a triterpene, and carotene (provitamin A) is a tetraterpene.

As far as your cannabis this means what smell/taste you experience, subtle effects of the high, and possible medicinal value. Sadly not a lot of breeding company are doing test for terpenes but some are (such as Green House Seed Co.), and from there research we know of 16 terpenes that occur in high enough amounts in cannabis to take notice of, but research has only been done on four or five.

Alpha-Pinene is an organic compound found in the oils of many species of pine tree, and also found in the essential oil of rosemary. Two types of alpha-pinene exist in nature, one more common in European pines and one more common in North America. You can find extremely high levels of this terpene in Super Silver Haze (GHS - Green House Seed Company Strain). Basically if you like piney taste/smell, this is what to look into.

Limonene is a hydrocarbon, classified as a cyclic terpene. When extracted it is a colorless liquid that smells strongly of orange, and other citrus. This is found in Lemon Skunk & Big Bang (GHS).

Sabiene is a natural monoterpene and can be isolated in the oils of many plants including the oak tree. It contributes to the spiciness of black pepper and carrot seed oil. Also found in high concentration in Super Silver Haze & Arjan's Ultra Haze #1 (GHS).

Myrcene or B-myrcene can be obtained from the oils of bay, verbana, mycria (where it gets its name) and other. It is one of the most important terpene in the perfume industry. Because of its floral/sweet nature it is often used directly. It occurs in extremely high amounts in White Widow.

1.8-cineol (Eucalyptol) is a woodsy/spicy aroma with a cooling taste, and has been shown to help bronchial asthmatics, as it is anti-inflammatory.  Found in A.M.S. (GHS).

Camphene is that woods/earthy skunky smell, and occurs in allot of strains.

You can create a terpene profile of a strain using Headspace Gas Chromatography, and in recent studys its was shown  It was found that a controlled cannabis extract, containing multiple cannabinoids, in a defined ratio, and other non-cannabinoid fractions (terpenes and flavonoids) provided better antinociceptive efficacy than the single cannabinoid given alone.

Xora's Cannabis Compendium (All things Good, and Ganja) #2

Xora's Cannabis Compendium (All things Good, and Ganja)
Part 2 - The Active Cannabinoids 


Cannabis as most of you know is a very resinous plant, and this resin (the essential oils and the trichomes - the crystals you see all over your bud ) is made up of a few different cannabinoids, the building blocks of your high! Honestly, there are about 120 different cannabinoids but we only have research on 5 major cannabinoids. These cannabinoids are THC, THCV, CBD, CBN, and CBG.

THC or Tetrahidrocannabinol is what we look to for our high. In occurs in amounts up to 28% in some of our most powerful ganja. It is the main psychoactive cannabinoid in our glorious plant.
THCV or Tetrahydrocannabivarin is another cannabinoid that occurs in higher amount in warm temperature places, due to higher amount of UV light, though it degrades quickly in fresh bud. This cannabinoid makes the high come on faster, and have a more profound effect. More research still needs to be done on THCV.
CBD or Cannabidiol generally occurs in amounts from 0.2 to 3%. It is a very sedative cannabinoid, delays the effects of THC, reduces euphoria, however does help more with pain. In plants with high amounts of THC and CBD you have a strong body high, that helps lots with pain. If you have low THC and large amounts of CBD you are going to feel real tired.
CBN or Cannabinol occurs in very small amount in fresh bud. In hash or bud that has been around a while there are much higher amounts of it, and it is attributed to the "messed up" or groggy feeling. As THC oxides and ages it converts to CBN, so the longer from the harvest the less THC the more CBN, thus the more groggy, not definable high.
CBG or Cannabigerol is non-psychoactive but shown to reduce blood pressure and relieve glaucoma symptoms, other medical benefits may be on the horizon.
Some research has been done on CBC or Cannabichromene and it is thought to make plants seem more psychedelic and intense but this has not been proven.

We explained in the last section the Indica, Sativa, And Afghanica all have very different highs, this is because of different ratio of these cannabinoids. Sadly most Seed Banks only test for THC and CBD but it will illustrate the differences well.

Pineapple Chunk - Indica Dominant
High - Couch Lock    THC: 25%     CBD: 1.1%

Dr. Grinspoon - Sativa
High: Euphoric, Uppy     THC: 25%     CBD: 0.4%

Vanilla Kush - Indica
High: Relaxing, Slowed Down     THC: 25%   CBD: 1.2%

Amnesia Lemon - Sativa/Indica
High: Balanced body/head high, trippy    THC: 25%     CBD 0.7%

I hope you enjoyed this post on the active cannabinoids and will join me for my next post on the essential oils.

Consolidating Cannabis

I have been writing a book about growing for the last year, maybe year and a half, however my notes are half-hazard and scattered all about so this post is in an effort to slowly start logically sorting my book. I hope people reading this don't just learn something, I hope they pass that knowledge on. If we were to put our efforts into making sure everything we do is to the best of our abilities, you better believe it will make a difference in quality. So with out further ado,

Xora's Cannabis Compendium (All thing Good, and Ganja)
Part 1 - The Bud


Have you ever picked up a sack from a friend, asking them how the bud is, what it's like, only to hear "Good" in response? Have you wondered how experienced smokers can take a hit of a bowl and tell you so much about it? I'm here to help you understand the basics of what ideal bud should be like, so when we get to technical discussion on growing you will understand why certain steps (such as proper drying, then curing) can be so essential, and make such a huge difference. 
To start with you must understand the four, yes FOUR, different species of cannabis, Indica, Sativa, Afghanica, and Ruderalis. Each one has different traits, growing habits, and proportions of cannabinoids.
Cannabis Indica is a short plant, usually only growing 5 - 10 feet, with thick, fat, usually dark green leaves. These plants were short crop plants, growing in cold weather regions (mountain bases in India, Pakistan, and other places) where 5 - 7 months is the maximum grow season, as such they evolved a better resistance to cold, greater production of trichomes, and a shorter grow season. The leaves of this plant, like the buds, can vary from dark green to purple, usually an occurrence caused by cool to cold weather during growing. The indoor growers best friend, as it's small stature, compact root system, and generally good yield makes for an easier time.
The high from a typical Indica is very 'stony', resulting in a intense body high (helpful for alleviating muscle pain), a very zoned out feeling, and for many Indica intense couch lock. This is caused from higher amounts of CBD (Usually .8 to 2.%) something we will discuss later.
Cannabis Sativa is the complete opposite, standing in somewhere between 8 - 18 feet. This tall, dispersed plant, has a rather large root systems, and really shines outdoors, where its long thin leaves allow for good light penetration. The plants originated in warmer climates and as such have a longer growing season. These plants though taller, often produce less overall bud, however their extremely low amounts of CBD result an amazingly cerebral, soaring high, leaving you filled with energy and euphoria. The buds generally grow more wispy, and light; rarely is it dense like it's Indica and Afghanica counterparts.
Cannabis Afghanica is a variety few people pay creed in separating from Indica. Originating near in Afghanistan, this desert plant resembles an Indica in many ways. The leaves though fat and stout like and Indica are usually more rounded and marbled. They were were selectively bred for hash, and as such are some amazingly greasy, trichomed cover plants, usually the same height or shorter than pure Indica.  I find these plants give an amazingly spiritual, creative high, while a very comfortable body high leaves you feeling like sitting and talking, or drawing.
Cannabis Ruderalis on its own is pretty much useless ditch weed. So why take notice to it? When bred with a stable Indica, Sativa, or Afghanica you produce an auto variety plant. In other words, you create a hybrid that has less strength then the Parent Plant on its own but will flower in two months no matter the light schedule. Good for Gorrila Grows.

Part two will be about the active cannabinoids and essential oils.