Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Profiles Enable Targeted Cannabis Medicine
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that produces more than 400 compounds that help protect the plant from environmental hazards, such as bacterial infections and damage from ultraviolet rays. Some of these compounds, administered alone or in various combinations, are now used to treat specific medical conditions in patients.
These compounds fit into many categories, including two that stand out for their observed medicinal effects: cannabinoids and terpenoids.
Cannabis potency can vary widely among plant samples based on genetics (plant strain) and growing conditions such as lighting intensity and intervals, water and nutrient uptake, and stressors like wind, rain, heat, and cold. For instance, if lighting is not uniformly distributed, samples obtained from the top of a plant will differ in potency from samples taken near the base.
The ratios of the compounds, including cannabinoids and terpenoids, also vary widely based on its genetic and environmental factors, which makes certain cannabis products better for treating specific medical conditions than other products. Our comprehensive tests and reports make it easier for patients, caregivers, and medical professionals to map cannabis products to each individual’s medication requirements to obtain the desired therapeutic outcome.
Cannabinoids are expressed in percentage of total weight: milligrams of the cannabinoid divided by milligrams of the sample. This information is critical for enabling patients to gauge dosage levels in edibles and other products that can vary in weight.
Using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and gas chromatography with a mass spec detector (GC_MS) we are able to separate and quantify the following lists of cannabinoids and terpenoids, respectively present in cannabis and cannabis-based products.
| Cannabinoid | Abbreviation | Potential Medicinal Value |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabichromene | CBC | Analgesic Antibacterial Antimicrobial Antidepressant Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Bone growth stimulant Sleep aid Vaso-relaxant |
| Cannabidiol | CBD | Allograft stimulant Analgesic Antibacterial Anticonvulsive Antidepressant Anti-diabetic Anti-emetic Anti-inflammatory Anti-ischemic Anti-prokinetic Antiproliferative Antipsoriatic Anti-psychotic Anti-spasmodic Anxiolytic Bone growth stimulant Immunosuppressive Neuroprotective Sleep aid |
| Cannabidiolic acid | CBDA | nti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Anti-prokinetic |
| Cannabidivarin | CBDV | Anti-convulsive Bone growth stimulant |
| Cannabigerol | CBG | Analgesic Antibacterial Antidepressant Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Bone growth stimulant |
| Cannabigerolic acid | CBGA | Analgesic Anti-inflammatory |
| Cannabinol | CBN | Analgesic Antibacterial Anticonvulsive Anti-inflammatory Antioxidant Antispasmodic Psychoactive (mild) Sleep aid |
| Cannabinolic acid | CBNA | Anti-inflammatory |
| Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol | Δ8THC | Antidepressant Antispasmodic Anxiolytic |
| Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol | Δ9THC | Analgesic Antibacterial Antiproliferative Anti-inflammatory Antioxidant Antispasmodic Appetite stimulant Bronchodilator Neuroprotective Psychoactive Sleep apnea easer |
| Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid | THCA | Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Antispasmodic |
| Tetrahydrocannabivarin | THCV | Anorectic Anti-convulsive Bone growth stimulant |
| Terpenoid | Potential Medicinal Value |
|---|---|
| alpha-Bisabolol | Anti-inflammatory Antibacterial |
| alpha-Humulene | Anorectic Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative |
| alpha-Pinene | Antibacterial Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Bronchodilator Expectorant |
| alpha-Terpinene | Antimicrobial |
| beta-Caryophyllene | Antibacterial Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Antiseptic |
| beta-Eudesmol | Antifungal Hepatoprotection |
| beta-Myrcene | Analgesic Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Antispasmodic Sleep aid |
| beta-Pinene | Antibacterial |
| Borneol | Analgesic Antiseptic Bronchodilator Sleep aid |
| Camphene | Antibacterial Antipruritic Expectorant Decongestant |
| Caryophyllene oxide | Antifungal Anti-ischemic |
| Cineol | Anesthetic Antibacterial Antidepressant Anti-fatigue Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antiemic Antiproliferative Antiseptic Antispasmodic Bronchodilator Decongestant Expectorant Gastroprotective Antihepatotoxic Sedative |
| Citronellol | Anti-inflammatory Antimicrobial Antiproliferative Antispasmodic Sleep aid |
| Delta-3-Carene | Anti-inflammatory |
| gamma-Terpinene | Sedative |
| Geraniol | Antioxidant |
| Guaiol | Laxative |
| Isopulegol | Analgesic Antiemetic Antipruritic Antispasmodic Decongestant |
| Limonene | Antibacterial Antifungal Antidepressant Anti-inflammatory Antiproliferative Antispasmodic Antiviral Anxiolytic Bronchodilator Decongestant Expectorant Sedative |
| Linalool | Anesthetic Antibacterial Anticonvulsive Antidepressant Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antimicrobial Antispasmodic Antiviral Anxiolytic Bronchorelaxant Expectorant Sedative Sleep Aid |
| Nerolidol | Antifungal Sleep aid |
| Ocimene | Anti-inflammatory |
| p-Cymene | Antioxidant |
| Phytol | Sleep Aid |
| Terpinolene | Antibacterial Antifungal Antiseptic Sleep Aid |
To obtain the highest THC and CBD levels, start with good genetics by picking the right strain. Growing conditions affect cannabinoid levels profoundly affect potency. If you decided to experiment with adjusting growing conditions, adjust them one at a time so you can measure the effect of each change.
Since cannabinoids are not stored in water, drying and curing to achieve a low moisture level of between 6% and 9% will help your sample test higher for cannabinoids.