New government-funded research from the University of Arizona’s pharmacology department and Center for Pain and Addiction on terpenes produced by the cannabis plant finds that some of the aromatic compounds could be promising therapeutics to help manage pain from fibromyalgia or during recovery from an operation. The study involved administering four separate terpenes (geraniol, linalool, beta-caryophyllene, and alpha-humulene) and then measuring the “mechanical sensitivity” over three hours to evaluate the terpenes’ possible effects on pain.
As for postoperative pain, each of the four studied terpenes “increased mechanical threshold significantly in comparison to the mice treated with the vehicle,” according to the research, referring to a solution without any terpenes that’s been previously shown not to have any pain-relieving effect. “The data suggests that all 4 terpenes are efficacious in relieving post-surgical pain.” All four terpenes also increased mechanical sensitivity for fibromyalgia-like symptoms at least for some time points measured.
The pain-relieving effect seemed to be “strongest for geraniol, then linalool or α-humulene,” the report says.
