Terpene reference
Terpbase
Explore terpene chemistry, aroma, and sensory characteristics in one focused reference.
Terpene catalog
Selection
Selected terpenes
Sensory descriptors are shorthand for perceived aroma and taste. Vaporisation points are approximate normal-atmosphere ranges, not recommended device settings. Chemical details link to PubChem.
Terpene primer
The aromatic language of plants
Open each chapter for a closer look at terpene chemistry, plant ecology, and what the evidence does and does not establish.
What are terpenes?
Terpenes are hydrocarbons assembled from repeating five-carbon building blocks. Joining two units produces a 10-carbon monoterpene such as limonene or pinene; three produce a 15-carbon sesquiterpene such as caryophyllene. Larger families follow the same biochemical logic.
Plants use enzyme families called terpene synthases to turn a small set of precursors into remarkably varied molecular shapes. Small structural changes, including a different arrangement of the same atoms, can alter volatility and how a compound is perceived.
Terpene or terpenoid? The words are often used loosely. Strictly, terpenes contain only carbon and hydrogen, while terpenoids include related molecules modified with oxygen or other functional groups. This catalogue includes familiar compounds from both groups under the common umbrella term.
Why do plants make them?
Terpenes do far more than smell pleasant to people. Floral blends can guide pollinators, while resins and less volatile compounds can discourage feeding or inhibit microbes. A terpene’s role depends on its concentration, its companions, the organism detecting it, and the surrounding environment.
Plants under attack can change their volatile emissions. Research reviewed by Gershenzon and Dudareva describes signals that repel herbivores, warn or prime nearby tissues, and attract predators or parasitoids of the attacking insect. Roots also release terpenoid signals into the soil, where they can influence fungi and other organisms.
Aroma is therefore a mixture rather than a one-molecule label. The identity, ratio, and detection threshold of many volatile compounds shape a perceived profile, which is why two plants sharing a prominent terpene may still smell noticeably different.
Terpenes in cannabis
Cannabis sativa produces volatile terpenes alongside cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, particularly in glandular trichomes. Genetics, plant tissue, maturity, growing conditions, storage, and processing can all influence the measured profile, so a cultivar name alone does not guarantee a fixed chemical composition.
Laboratory and animal studies investigate individual terpenes and possible interactions among plant constituents. These experiments can suggest mechanisms, but they do not by themselves demonstrate that a terpene profile treats a condition in people. Product dose, route, composition, and clinical context all matter.
The proposed “entourage effect” remains an active research question rather than an established clinical rule. NCCIH notes that research into cannabis constituents, including terpenes, is ongoing. Terpbase therefore presents chemistry and sensory descriptors, not treatment predictions or recommendations.
Medical cannabis products should be selected with a qualified clinician. This catalogue describes chemistry and sensory characteristics, not treatment recommendations.
Evidence notes
Sources
These references serve different jobs: compound records support the catalogue, research reviews provide biological context, and public-health guidance keeps medical claims in proportion.
PubChem
Chemical database · NIH
Used for: compound identity, structures, formulas, physical properties, and record-level references.
PubChem is an open chemistry database operated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, part of NIH. It aggregates structures, identifiers, chemical and physical properties, biological information, safety data, and literature links from hundreds of contributing sources.
How Terpbase uses it: each catalogue record links to PubChem as a stable starting point for checking compound identity and viewing a two-dimensional molecular structure. The structure images shown here are requested from PubChem’s public PUG REST service.
Important limitation: PubChem is an aggregator. Individual values and synonyms may be depositor supplied, and records can contain measurements made under different conditions. Terpbase treats vaporisation points as approximate normal-atmosphere references rather than device settings or clinical guidance.
Read About PubChemTerpenes in the natural world
Review · Nature Chemical Biology · 2007
Used for: terpene diversity, biosynthesis, defence, attraction, and ecological signalling.
Jonathan Gershenzon and Natalia Dudareva survey the extraordinary chemical diversity of terpene natural products and the roles they play across plants and other organisms. The review connects molecular diversity with direct defence, antimicrobial activity, pollinator attraction, herbivore-induced signalling, and interactions above and below ground.
Why it belongs here: it supports the Learn section’s ecological framing without reducing terpenes to aroma descriptors or human uses. As a review, it synthesises a large body of earlier work rather than reporting one isolated experiment.
Scope: this is foundational biology, not evidence that a named terpene has a particular therapeutic effect in humans.
Open the article via DOIThe Cannabis Terpenes
Open-access review · Molecules · 2020
Used for: cannabis terpene biosynthesis, composition, variability, and proposed biological activity.
Sommano, Chittasupho, Ruksiriwanich, and Jantrawut review terpene biosynthesis in Cannabis sativa, common volatile constituents, analytical considerations, and preclinical research into biological activity. It provides a useful map of the field and a vocabulary for discussing cannabis aroma profiles.
Why it belongs here: the review links general terpene chemistry to cannabis specifically and is freely readable in full. It also makes the evidence ladder visible: chemical occurrence and laboratory activity are not the same as demonstrated patient benefit.
Scope: many discussed effects come from isolated compounds, cell experiments, or animal models. Terpbase does not translate those findings into treatment claims.
Open the article via DOICannabis and cannabinoids: health guidance
Consumer health guidance · NCCIH/NIH
Used for: clinical-evidence boundaries, safety context, product uncertainty, and health decisions.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarises what is known about cannabis and cannabinoids for consumers. It distinguishes the cannabis plant from approved cannabinoid medicines, describes areas where evidence is limited or still developing, and outlines safety and product-quality concerns.
Why it belongs here: this independent government guidance prevents a chemistry catalogue from implying medical efficacy. NCCIH explicitly notes that research into minor cannabinoids and terpenes is continuing; investigation is not confirmation.
Practical boundary: do not use this catalogue to diagnose, select, or adjust treatment. Discuss cannabis products, interactions, and adverse effects with a qualified clinician.
Read the NCCIH fact sheetTerpbase is informational only and is not medical advice. Source selection was last reviewed October 2026.