What lab tests usually show
THC spike
Popular modern varieties often test about 15 to 20 percent THC by bud weight
Quiet extras
CBN, CBD, CBC, and CBG are often barely present in those same tests
Old story
Many grow books said CBD softens THC. Some work still explores that idea
Receptor note
By 2005, researchers reported CBD does not dock the same CB1 sites THC uses
If cannabinoids are not the whole story
Nose first
Experienced users often judge a sample by smell before anything else
Odorless resin
THC and the other cannabinoids have no smell
What you smell
Terpenes, the plant's essential oils, are what the nose reads
Recipe
Different terpene mixes help explain why two high-THC flowers can feel unlike each other
Why the plant makes these oils
No legs: Plants cannot run from browsers or shade-out neighbors, so they use chemistry.
Repel: Some oils push animals and insects away or slow them down.
Recruit: Other aromatics call pollinators or predators of the plant's pests.
Cost: Terpene output rises as the plant invests more in reproduction.
Daily terpene rhythm
Glands
As the plant turns sexual, terpenes build in the flower glands
Night peak
Levels rise in the dark and are highest just before dawn
Day loss
Heat and light evaporate them into the air as a warning scent
Dusk low
By lights-out or sunset, terpene and cannabinoid levels are often at their daily bottom