Injected cannabis terpenes as effective as morphine at treating pain

[Neil Cartwright]

A fascinating headline that highlights the medicinal potential of terpenes.

I’ve previously posted that my Nana Cartwright was an expert on the pain relieving properties of terpenes. Or, at least she knew, when I was a small kid, that my tooth ache would be partially relieved by pressing a clove against my gum.

I admit, she was unlikely aware it was actually the beta-caryophyllene, the terpene that gives black pepper and cloves it’s distinctive aroma, but her generation knew, probably more than ours, about the medicinal properties of cloves, honey, lemons, lavender, etc.

The reason terpenes work isn’t a mystery. They’re very simple hydro-carbon molecules, which, because most life is carbon based, can bind to multiple receptors in our bodies. The TRVP1 receptor, for instance, is activated by capsicum, found in the nightshade family of plants. That feeling of pain when you eat a ‘hot’ chili? That’s your TRVP1 receptor being triggered by a hydro carbon, in this case C18H27NO3, i.e. capsicum.

Similarly, other terpenes can mask pain, such as the clove example above.

The science is coming thick and fast that terpenes can have a profound effect on our emotions and feelings, such as pain, anxiety, stress, sleep and mood.

Injected cannabis terpenes as effective as morphine at treating pain