Thanks, Sam. I am becoming more and more interested in the changes that happen to resin after harvest.
I am particularly interested in finding out what is happening in my favorite types of weed during curing. My favorites seem to be similar to what you described as what you like too.
I like pot that is stimulating and thought enhancing, and are usually NLD types. I have noticed that my WLD and WLD/NLD mixes are generally at or close to their full potential very quickly, sometimes as soon as they are dry, or with only a week or two cure. My favorite kinds, usually straight up NLD, are very different. The difference between fresh (less than a month cure) and the actual finished product (for me usually 4-6 months) is night and day.
When I smoke my best stuff before it is ready, it is still excellent smoke with the kind of head I like. When cured to the point of reaching its full potential though, it is almost like a different drug altogether.
I have lots of experience with other psychoactive compounds, and have devoted significant study to the neurochemical mechanisms of psychoactivity. The difference I describe above in my fav kinds seems to be not just one of magnitude or quantity, but of quality too. It isn't just more of the effect it has uncured, it seems like it is actually a different effect.
The subjective feeling I get is "Wow this buzz feels a lot like 5HT(serotonin receptor) agonism!" (like LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, etc). People tend to focus on CB receptor modulation (because it is so new to science) and either don't know or disregard the activity on the other neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and other less well known ones. We tend to focus on the cannabinoids in their role as lipid neurotransmitters, and ignore the action at monoamine, amino acid, peptide, etc etc sites.
We tend also to completely ignore the closely allied concept of neurotransmitter transporters and their modulation of the communication between neurons (I have a feeling or intuition that the terps exert some of their influence this way, as opposed to direct modulation of the receptors).
Have you noticed this too?
If so, what changes are occurring to make this so? It must be stuff other than the main cannabinoids, they don't seem to change significantly over time. It must be the terps, and possibly agents currently unknown to us.
Besides oxidation, what do you identify as the main changes to terps as they age?
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate your contributions here.
