Don't be fooled by my post count. I've been a long-time member of ICMag and learned nearly everything I know about growing from you guys. Top-notch community here, full of knowledge. (I deleted my old account/grow logs years ago in a fit of paranoia.) Now living in CA/CO, I'm a bit more relaxed.
I've recently taken an interest in liquid extracts. Now that labs are paying special attention to terpenes, we have oils that precisely replicate the terpene profiles of different strains.
With terpene profiling becoming commonplace, consumers will become better-informed about exactly what they are consuming. Yet, we have very little knowledge of how these different terpenes affect the user's experience.
The old model is: grow a strain, harvest multiple phenos with different effects. Smoke the different strains, and notice the subtle differences in experience. Try to optimize for desired phenos. The new model is: formulate an extract that has the same composition, every time. Repeatable methods, repeatable effects, consistent user experiences.
Given the 100+ different terpenes present in cannabis, there are an enormous number of ways to tweak extract formulations, all while keeping base cannabinoid content constant. Essentially, this means designer-highs. Lower costs (time) to create a new 'liquid strain.'
But how do we figure out which terpene profiles elicit particular effects? For instance, a 'strain' for relieving anxiety or depression? A 'strain' for being active or social?
I think we will need extract smoke reports, in a big way, in order to figure out the different synergies between cannabinoids and terpenes.
Thoughts? Interest?
I've recently taken an interest in liquid extracts. Now that labs are paying special attention to terpenes, we have oils that precisely replicate the terpene profiles of different strains.
With terpene profiling becoming commonplace, consumers will become better-informed about exactly what they are consuming. Yet, we have very little knowledge of how these different terpenes affect the user's experience.
The old model is: grow a strain, harvest multiple phenos with different effects. Smoke the different strains, and notice the subtle differences in experience. Try to optimize for desired phenos. The new model is: formulate an extract that has the same composition, every time. Repeatable methods, repeatable effects, consistent user experiences.
Given the 100+ different terpenes present in cannabis, there are an enormous number of ways to tweak extract formulations, all while keeping base cannabinoid content constant. Essentially, this means designer-highs. Lower costs (time) to create a new 'liquid strain.'
But how do we figure out which terpene profiles elicit particular effects? For instance, a 'strain' for relieving anxiety or depression? A 'strain' for being active or social?
I think we will need extract smoke reports, in a big way, in order to figure out the different synergies between cannabinoids and terpenes.
Thoughts? Interest?