Making the move to a healthier, more holistic lifestyle, can seem overwhelming. In truth, all it takes is a bit of understanding as to how the body works in harmony with the world around it. Nature truly has everything you need; the mind usually just needs a little nudge in the right direction.
What To Know
Lifestyle shifts have to start in the mind. After all, your thoughts most definitely influence the actions you take, which in turn, influence your body.
When one first decides to transition to a healthier lifestyle, one of the first things they often do is to pack their refrigerator with foods perceived to be good for you. However, if you are going to make sustainable, long-term changes to your habits, you need to understand why those foods are good for you.
We know that fruits, vegetables, and even herbs are good for us because we have a general understanding that they contain fiber and other vitamins which are good for a variety of our body’s systems. Beyond those healthy elements, they also contain compounds called “terpenes.” Terpenes are what give plants their distinct colors, smells, and flavors. While in nature, terpenes have specific uses, such as repelling bugs and attracting certain pollinators, they also have medicinal value for humans.
The Medicinal Terpene
For millennia, terpenes have been used medicinally. Take turmeric, for example, which has long been used in traditional herbal medicines. Turmeric contains the terpene curcumin. In modern wellness communities, curcumin has been widely touted for its potential variety of health promoting properties, including being an anti-inflammatory. Studies are still researching its vast potential, but one thing is certain, if you’re going to add turmeric to your diet, definitely add a shake of black pepper. Black pepper increases the terpene’s bioavailability, meaning that your body will be better able to absorb it.
The human body has a variety of ways that it can take in terpenes — some are inhaled, some are applied topically, while others are ingested. Consider how the scent of lavender is widely touted for relaxation. This is because of the terpene linalool. When inhaled, linalool sets a course through the olfactory system, past the blood brain barrier, and straight for the central nervous system. Lavender can also be ingested, with benefits for a variety of digestive ailments, and applied topically, with some studies showing that it may be beneficial over time in treating alopecia areata.
From a modern perspective, medicinally speaking, some research states that terpenes are antiviral, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and more. Some pharmaceuticals even use terpenes in their formulas.
Cannabis Terpenes
Cannabis professionals, growers, farmers, and even dispensaries are often intimately familiar with terpenes. With the recent surge of states legalizing cannabis, science has been able to begin studying the plant and its terpenes. It has been recently stated that it is actually the terpenes in cannabis which are responsible for the effects of different cannabis strains, like sativa and indica. Which means that it is a combination of cannabinoids, such as CBD and THC, as well as the terpenes within each plant’s trichomes which create the experience. This is otherwise known as the “entourage effect”.
Terpenes And Your Wellness
With this knowledge, you may be inclined to add terpenes to your wellness routine, whether by adding them to your aromatherapy, eating, or drinking habits. If you decide to do this, you will want to find a quality source of terpenes, ensuring that whoever you buy from performs clean extractions and has clean packaging processes. This will ensure that there are no dust particles or other contaminants in your product. You should also consider the extraction source, such as botanical or cannabis sources. Keep in mind that terpenes by default are not cannabinoids, and will not contain THC or CBD. You will also want to consider if there are any additives added to the final extraction.
Terpenes offer a wide variety of flavors which may be beneficial to your overall health. If you are working toward a healthier, more holistic lifestyle, adding terpenes to your day may be a great fit.
