Ra’anana, Israel: Terpenes in the cannabis plant activate endogenous cannabinoid receptors in a dose-dependent manner, according to the preclinical data published in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology.
Israeli researchers assessed the modulatory ability of sixteen cannabis terpenes: α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, myrcene, ocimene, sabinene, terpinolene, borneol, eucalyptol, geraniol, linalool, terpineol, β-caryophyllene, humulene, bisabolol, and nerolidol. Researchers reported “significant dose-dependent responses at both CB1 and CB2 receptors, … reaching a maximal response of about 10-60 percent the activation elicited by THC.” The study is among the first to characterize terpene interactions with CB2 receptors.
Activating the CB2 receptors is believed to provide cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects, but it does not elicit mood-altering effects.
“This study provides evidence suggesting that multiple cannabis-derived terpenes, when tested in the absence of cannabinoids, act as partial agonists at CB1R and CB2R, with significant variability in apparent potency, efficacy, and receptor selectivity,” the study’s authors concluded. “Collectively, these findings suggest a pharmacological basis for incorporating specific terpenes into ECS-focused product design and warrant further research into their tissue-specific activity, and synergistic potential when used in combination with cannabinoids or other therapeutic agents. The broad availability and favorable safety profiles of many terpenes further support their potential as accessible, scalable, and customizable tools in the modulation of endocannabinoid signaling.”
Prior studies have established that low doses of cannabis terpenes can amplify THC’s activity upon CB1 receptors. A 2023 research paper published in the Journal of Cannabis Research reported that cannabis flower with elevated levels of the terpenes myrcene and terpinolene is associated with greater perceived symptom relief among patients.
Full text of the study, “Selective activation of cannabinoid receptors by cannabis terpenes,” appears in Biochemical Pharmacology.