Humulene : Know Your Terpenes

Have you ever toured a brewery? Then the odor of hops is forever embedded in your memory. Its smell is distinctive, the terpene humulene giving it its earthy, wood-like aroma found both in beer and numerous cannabis strains.

You can also smell its distinct scent in herbs like basil and cloves as well as some evergreen varieties.

Humulene’s been linked to reducing inflammation, relieving pain, suppressing appetite, killing bacteria, and shows promising potential in fighting against cancer. On a lighter note, its scent is hated by bugs, so it can act as a decent insect repellent. It acts synergistically with CBC and CBG as an anti-fungal, and can act synergistically with THC as an anti-coagulant, it also works synergistically with THCA and CBGA as an insecticidal.

Strains commonly containing a higher percentage of humulene are Arjan’s Haze, Chemdog, Green House Skunk, Super Lemon Haze, Jack Herer and Kings Kush.

Humulene's boiling point is 107 degrees Celsius or 224.6 degrees Fahrenheit – so if you plan to cook with a concentrate or flower high in humulene, don’t accidentally vaporize it by cooking above its 224 degree boiling point.

As always, terpenes affect each of us differently depending on our body chemistry and what compounds are present that they can act synergistically with.