Marijuana Terpene Chart: Effects, Aromas, and Limits

Terpenes are the compounds that give cannabis its smell. A marijuana terpene chart pairs each terpene with an aroma and a list of reported effects. The effects column is the weak part. Human trials on isolated cannabis terpenes are few. Most effect claims come from animal studies, lab dishes, or user reports.

Sativa Terpene Chart with Percentages

What the chart columns mean

Charts vary by source. Most list five to eight terpenes, an aroma, a boiling point, and a short effects note. Boiling point is chemistry. The effects note is inference. Many flower samples test between 0.5% and 2% total terpenes by weight.

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Common terpenes and reported effects

• Myrcene: earthy, musk, citrus. Boiling point 167 C (333 F). Marketed as the sedative terpene. Mouse studies show sedation at high doses.
• Alpha-pinene: pine, rosemary. Boiling point 155 C (311 F). Linked to alertness. Animal work tests a counter to THC memory effects.
• Limonene: citrus peel. Boiling point 176 C (349 F). Small human studies report mood and stress changes.
• Linalool: floral, lavender. Boiling point 198 C (388 F). Inhaled linalool lowered anxiety measures in mice.
• Beta-caryophyllene: black pepper, clove. A sesquiterpene. Binds CB2 receptors in mice.
• Humulene: hops, wood. Animal models test appetite suppression.
• Terpinolene: pine, floral, herbal. Little research.
• Ocimene: sweet, herbal. Little research.

What the evidence supports

Beta-caryophyllene has the clearest mechanism. It binds CB2 receptors in mice (Gertsch et al., 2008). Linalool and limonene have animal and small human data. Pinene data comes from animal work. Terpinolene and ocimene have almost none.

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Where the chart misleads

• Terpene content changes with harvest, cure, and storage. A lab label is a snapshot.
• Charts list effects for isolated terpenes. Smoke delivers a mix with THC, CBD, and combustion products.
• Dose is absent. A chart cannot say how much terpene reaches the body.
• Boiling point is not the same as the temperature that releases a terpene from flower.

How to read a chart

1. Read the aroma column first. Smell is the part of the chart with direct evidence.
2. Check the lab report for total terpenes and the top three compounds.
3. Treat the effects column as a hypothesis, not a promise.
4. Track your own response. One person's calm cultivar is another person's anxious hour.

No chart can predict an individual response. THC content, dose, tolerance, and setting carry more weight than terpenes in most reports.