Cannabis sativa is unique in that it contains up to 150 terpenes with multiple terpenes acting as the dominant species. Credit: Kris Hanning, University of Arizona Health Sciences A University of Arizona Health Sciences study published in the journal Pain found that Cannabis sativa terpenes were as effective as morphine at reducing chronic neuropathic pain and a combination of the two analgesics further enhanced pain relief without negative side effects.
Some prior studies have shown that the Cannabis sativa plant and its two primary cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD, can be effective in managing chronic pain; however, the effects are generally moderate and can come with unwanted psychoactive side effects. Terpenes, the compounds that give plants their aroma and taste, offer an alternative path to pain relief without adverse side effects.
"A question that we’ve been very interested in is could terpenes be used to manage chronic pain?" said lead researcher John Streicher, Ph.D., a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and a professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine, Tucson. "What we found is that terpenes are really good at relieving a specific type of chronic pain with side effects that are low and manageable."
Terpenes are found in all plants, and most plants have two dominant terpene species. Cannabis is unique in that it contains up to 150 terpenes with multiple terpenes acting as the dominant species. Streicher and the research team tested five terpenes that are found in moderate to high levels in cannabis: alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, geraniol and linalool.
In a prior study , Streicher’s team found that four of those terpenes mimicked the effects of cannabinoids, including a reduction in the sensation of pain, in animal models of acute pain. For this study, they used a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, a type of chronic pain that occurs when highly toxic chemotherapy medications cause nerve damage that results in pain.
The terpenes were tested individually and compared with morphine. The research team found that each terpene was successful in reducing the sensation of pain at levels near to or above the […]
Study shows cannabis terpenes may relieve chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain