Cannabis strains are the set of wildly different varieties of the cannabis plant. Just like how dogs come in many breeds, the cannabis plant comes in all shapes, sizes, and concentrations. Each unique variety of cannabis is known as a strain.
The differences that are responsible for making up the thousands of different strains of cannabis are created by variations in cannabinoids and terpenes.
Cannabinoids are the common chemicals found in cannabis. You might be familiar with THC and CBD, the two most popular cannabinoids. They are not only found in cannabis, but also in the human body!
Terpenes are the organic compounds that are found in all kinds of plants and are responsible for giving them their scent– positioning them to play a key role in aromatherapy. The same “smell-effect” plays into the effects that a strain can have on your mind and body.
Picture it like this: If you are baking a cake with different ingredients (eggs, milk, sugar), if you put less milk in, the end-result will be different than if you put in less sugar. Cannabinoids and terpenes are a lot like ingredients in the cake. If you put more THC and less CBN, you would get a different strain than if you put more CBN and less THC.
Now, imagine how complex the world of cannabis strains can get when you consider there are dozens of known cannabinoids and hundred of terpenes!
