A terpenoid, also called an isoprenoid, is a compound built from isoprene units like a terpene but modified, typically with oxygen. Linalool and geraniol (alcohols), eucalyptol and caryophyllene oxide (ethers/oxides) and bisabolol are all terpenoids. In chemistry "terpene" is the plain hydrocarbon and "terpenoid" the modified form; in cannabis talk the two words are used interchangeably.
In practice
Lab terpene panels list both kinds together. Oxygenated terpenoids are generally less volatile than the hydrocarbon monoterpenes, so they tend to survive drying and storage better; some, like caryophyllene oxide, actually increase as their parent compound oxidises. Cannabinoids are, strictly, meroterpenoids: part terpene, part polyketide. That is the sense in which the cannabinoid and terpene pathways are related.
Don't confuse with
- Terpene: the hydrocarbon parent class.
- Flavonoid: a separate class of phenolic compounds.
- Terpene profile: the measured mix in a sample, not a chemical class.
Terpenes are volatile hydrocarbon compounds built from five-carbon isoprene units; in cannabis they are made in the trichome heads and are a major part of aroma and flavour.Caryophyllene oxide is the oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene, a less aromatic sesquiterpene epoxide that tends to increase as cannabis ages in air.Bisabolol (alpha-bisabolol) is a mild, floral, chamomile-like sesquiterpene alcohol found as a minor terpene in some cannabis cultivars.A terpene test measures the individual terpenes and total terpene content of a sample, usually by GC-FID or GC-MS, reported in % w/w or mg/g.A monoterpene is a ten-carbon terpene made from geranyl pyrophosphate, such as myrcene, limonene, pinene or terpinolene; they are the most volatile terpenes and the first lost in drying.A cannabinoid is any compound that binds the body's cannabinoid receptors or shares the typical cannabis terpenophenolic structure; the plant-made ones are phytocannabinoids such as THCA and CBDA.Flavonoids are polyphenolic plant compounds, including flavones, flavonols and anthocyanins, that colour and protect plant tissue; cannabis contains common ones plus cannabis-specific cannflavins.A terpene profile is the measured mix of terpenes in a sample, reported as each compound's % w/w and the total, used to describe and compare cultivar aroma chemistry.A sesquiterpene is a fifteen-carbon terpene made from farnesyl pyrophosphate, such as beta-caryophyllene, humulene and bisabolol; they are heavier and less volatile than monoterpenes.Linalool is a floral, lavender-scented monoterpene alcohol found in lavender and some cannabis cultivars, usually at low levels below 0.3% w/w.
