There was a persistent rumor that smoking bananas would get you pleasant stoned when I was in school. In those pre-internet days, I don’t know how rumors like these got out. But, dozens, if not thousands, of college students put banana skins in the microwave and then shredded the leftovers and made a “joint” from it. Everyone claimed to have at least one friend who could attest that this little ritual got you stoned.
Smoking Bananas in a Bunch
It didn’t. The result of smoking bananas was a dorm filled with floating banana ashes and the unpleasant smell of burned bananas. You couldn’t leave that room for several weeks. Now, fast forward to the present day, and plug the Internet into it. Voila! We have our own version of smoking bananas: the persistent, but incorrect, rumor that myrcene can get you stoned. Myrcene, by the way, is a terpene, and we’ll be discussing those a lot in future blogs. Let’s just say that terpenes, which are wonderful plant compounds, can be found in cannabis plants of all types (including hemp) as well as fruits like mangos. We’ll get to the mango issue shortly. If you are consuming full-spectrum oils, it is likely that you’re also consuming myrcene.
Let’s cut to the chase: is not going to get you very high. Yes. There are 50 articles online that will confirm this. They are wrong.
Don’t Forget The Mango Rumors!
Actually, the source of the original rumor was a bit inaccurate but common folk wisdom from days when only potheads and stoners could talk to one another about cannabis. According to the Internet, it is a well-known fact that smoking cannabis will be more effective if you consume a good ripe mango half an hour before smoking.
- Consuming mangos “turbocharges” the THC in marijuana.
- Mangos have a high level of myrcene, a terpene. People assumed that myrcene was responsible for the turbo-charging effect, despite the fact that correlation is not causation.
Then, “Myrcene activates THC,” which is still an unproven hypothesis, was shortened to “myrcene get you high” and that’s what we continue to hear (and answer questions about) until this day. Let’s be clear, is not. It’s interesting to note that even if myrcene turbo-charged THC in some manner, which is not a widely accepted fact, it wouldn’t matter to users of full-spectrum CBD hemp oil. Because there isn’t enough THC in hemp for turbo-charging.
Myrcene: The Truth
Let’s be clear. Some evidence exists that certain terpenes may help certain cannabinoids to cross the blood-brain barrier. There is some evidence that they might stimulate CB-1 (one of the primary receptors for cannabinoids in the body). It is not clear what terpenes and which cannabinoids these terpenes may “activate”. Remember, terpenes are the fragrant oils that are secreted in different strains of cannabis, along with the other cannabinoids (i.e., CBD, THC). They are what you smell when cannabis is smoked. They are essential if only because they interact with other compounds within the cannabis plant, strengthening some and weakening others. Our terpenes and other amazing compounds in hemp, like flavonoids, cannabinoids, and cannabinoids, should play an active and synergistic part in our high-end CBD products. We hope they interact and help one another get the job done. That is what the entourage effect is all about.
We do not want or need more misinformation about their behavior and what they do. There are also more Internet rumors that have no scientific basis about them. One of these rumors is that Myrcene can get you high. It’s time to end this rumor once and for all.
This post was written by Flo Sugyatno, operations manager of PureMed and CBD Expert. At PureMed we are a CBD store in Washington DC. We know that the best product comes from the best ingredients. That’s why we only use local, non-GMO ingredients that are grown without pesticides! We Produce Worry-Free CBD. Click here for more information.
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