The Scents of Cannabis and the Sense of Smell Beyond the Nose

Column by Jackeline Barbosa

Surely you have felt a smell that reminded you of an action or memory. But what you may not know is that recent studies prove the expression of olfactory receptors far beyond the nose, in various tissues of the human body, and that some natural scents have the potential to treat diseases. Scientists Maβberg and Hatt recently demonstrated that, throughout the body, our cells "sense" smells and respond to them.

The sense of smell is the only sense not processed by the thalamus - a kind of "central station" in the brain that integrates a myriad of neural stimuli. Aromatic molecules travel through the olfactory bulb, cross the blood-brain barrier, and reach directly to the limbic system, related to emotions and memory and the processing center for states such as stress, alertness, anxiety, and depression. Thus, for each smell: an emotion, a memory, a reaction.

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Richard Axel and Linda Buck received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 2004 for the scientific research that shed light on the mapping of genes related to smell, highlighting that, throughout evolution, no less than 3% of the entire human genetic code specialized in sensing and distinguishing over a trillion smells.

In medicinal plants, physiology is equally generous when it comes to aroma. True botanical perfumes called terpenes are produced by secondary metabolism and consist of a group of various volatile organic compounds that enable such primordial functions as attracting pollinators and repelling predators. Similar to animals, plants also sense smells, emit odors, and respond to them. Olfactory receptors located in the stomata of leaves, when activated, trigger epigenetic reactions and processes of communication and defense.

In Cannabis, the diversity of terpene compounds is exuberant and very well characterized in the distinct chemotypes. Its terpenes give the plant the citrus scent of tangerine, the sweetness of mango, the floral touch of lavender, or the woody smell of cedar, among many other possible aromas. There are many types of terpenes, with insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, fungicidal, anxiolytic, euphoric, and creative properties.

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In the human body, terpenes exhibit affinity with neurotransmitters, such as dopamine or serotonin, and control the flow of other phytochemical components in the bloodstream.

One of the most prevalent terpenes in Cannabis species, β-myrcene, induces sleep and relaxation and, when associated with CBD, acts in combating pain and inflammation, modulating the activity of THC and various other elements of the phytocomplex. It is nature's intelligence at the service of balance.

The entire complexity of terpenes that characterize the various aromas of Cannabis still encounters individual perception, biochemistry, and pharmacogenetics of each person. It is a way for nature to manifest its art, and it is possible that the same terpene, when isolated from Cannabis or integrated into its phytocomplex, is perceived by the sense of smell and manifests therapeutically in different ways, depending on the individual. Solo or orchestra, such can be plant chemistry.

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Utilizing the full expression of smell and the immense potential of Cannabis terpenes for integral health is a challenging possibility, still little explored in scientific research. The aromatherapy of Cannabis points on the horizon and needs to be studied. Distilling the essence of the plant, studying its essential oils and hydrosols, understanding its therapeutic action. As so elegantly described by David La Chapelle, be "the invisible hand of healing, bringing relief to the pains of the world and coming as a scent, in the winds of the soul".

The opinions expressed in this article are personal and the responsibility of their authors.

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