Free tool
Find your terps
Terpenes are what give weed its smell and a lot of its personality. Answer a few questions about what you like to smell, eat and feel, and I'll show you which terps fit you, what the science actually says about them, and strains to look for. No THC numbers here, just what you enjoy.
Effects vary person to person. This is a guide and recommendations only, not medical advice. I'm not a doctor and I'm not affiliated with any medical program. If you take other meds (cannabis can interact with some, like blood thinners and sedatives), are pregnant or nursing, or have a health condition, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. 21+ only.
The terp cheat sheet
Every terp in the quiz, what it smells like, and how strong the research behind it really is.
- Myrcene Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Musky, earthy, a little ripe fruit. Also in: Mango, hops, lemongrass, thyme.
In mice, big doses made them sleepy and relaxed their muscles. No human trial has tested it on its own yet, so the couch-lock rep is still word of mouth.
- Limonene Small human studies
Smells like: Lemon and orange peel, bright and clean. Also in: Citrus rinds, juniper, peppermint.
In a 2024 Johns Hopkins study of 20 adults, vaping limonene along with THC lowered the anxious, paranoid side of the high, and more limonene helped more. Small study, but it's real human data.
- Caryophyllene Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Cracked black pepper, clove, a little wood. Also in: Black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, oregano.
It's the only common terp shown to act on one of your body's cannabinoid receptors (CB2), and in mice that calmed inflammation. It doesn't get you high on its own. Human studies are still missing.
- Pinene Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Fresh pine needles, rosemary, a cold forest. Also in: Pine, rosemary, basil, dill.
Lab studies show it acts on an enzyme tied to memory, which is where the 'clearer head' idea comes from. Nobody has tested that in people smoking cannabis yet.
- Linalool Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Lavender, soft florals, a little sweet. Also in: Lavender, coriander, birch, basil.
Just smelling linalool calmed anxious mice in a 2018 study, and it didn't work on mice that couldn't smell. Lavender oil, which is loaded with it, has been studied in people for anxiety, but not as part of cannabis.
- Terpinolene Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Fresh and herbal, green apple, lilac, a touch of citrus and pine. Also in: Apples, lilac, nutmeg, cumin, tea tree.
Plot twist: in a 2013 mouse study, breathing it in actually made mice calmer. The energetic rep mostly comes from the strains it shows up in, not from proof about the terp itself.
- Humulene Animal and lab studies
Smells like: Woody, earthy, like hops. Also in: Hops, sage, ginseng, black pepper.
It calmed inflammation in animal studies. The appetite claim gets repeated a lot, but there's barely any research on it either way.
- Ocimene Very little research
Smells like: Sweet, herbal, a little tropical. Also in: Basil, mint, mango, orchids.
There's very little research on it in people or animals. Mostly it shapes the smell.