erpenes are the naturally occurring chemical compounds found in all plants and some insects. They’re responsible for the way plants smell and taste but also come along with their own set of therapeutic properties that have been used in holistic medicine for thousands of years.
Many terpenes are extracted from already-harvested plants, in which case, some of them dissipate or get destroyed with exposure to things like oxygen and heat. However, plant materials that are flash-frozen shortly after harvest retain their terpenes at a much higher rate than plants that aren’t flash-frozen or are left to dry.
If you look to the industry, you’ll notice a higher demand (and price!) for products with “live” in the name. Think Live Resin or Live Rosin. To make these products, they must be extracted or squeezed while the terpenes are still living and fresh to help promote the best flavors and effects.
Since terpenes boost the effectiveness of cannabinoids like THC/CBD in a phenomenon known as the entourage effect, the more terpenes that can be retained in the initial process of extracting or concentrating makes for more potent and more flavorful products.
That’s where live terpenes come in. Collecting the full spectrum of terpenes found in plants like cannabis or hemp allows people to make more fragrant and flavorful products that feel more potent. It also allows people to include the full spectrum of terpenes found in the plant since none were lost to things like oxygen or heat.