The journey to identifying similar strains significantly depends of the cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Cannabinoid profiles are responsible for profound effects from a given strain. Consider the content of a cannabinoid profile where THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, CBC may all be present and contributing significant effects to the experience. The cannabinoid profile is the main contributor to the entourage effects and overall experience. Usually, THC dominates the profile by far, although some strains do have CBD content. CBN, CBG and CBC all exist in very small quantities.
Terpene profiles are what give each strain a uniqueness. Terpenes account for aroma and and flavor of a given strain while also contributing effects to the overall experience. Terpenes do this by influencing the entourage effect, but think of this like "fine tuning" the experience. As laboratory testing is advancing, more and more terpenes are being looked at. Terpene profiles can have up to 20 terpenes present in varying concentrations and ratios.
Then comparing strains, one should consider cannabinoid and terpene similarity. The challenging part is quantifying these differences. For example, the terpene profile may give different effects depending on:
What combination of terpenes are present?
How much of each terpene is present? (Concentration)
How does each terpene relate to the others in the profile? (Ratio)
Check out the Terpene page to learn more about each terpene you may encounter.
Check out Flower Profiles to see the trends in CT flower products.
Check out Vape Profiles to see the trends in CT vape products.
Check out Concentrate Profiles to see the trends in CT concentrate products.