What Are Botanical Terpenes — and How Much Should You Add?

Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that give every plant its signature smell and taste — the citrus snap of lemon peel, the pine of a forest, the sweet gas of a classic cannabis strain. On their own, most distillates taste flat or faintly plastic. Terpenes are what turn them into a flavor people recognize and ask for by name.

Botanical terpenes are extracted from plants and blended to recreate specific strain profiles — Gelato, Zkittlez, OG Kush and so on — without containing any THC or CBD themselves. That makes them a flexible, compliant way to flavor and fine-tune the viscosity of your oil.

As for dosage: terpenes are potent, so a little goes a long way. A typical starting point is around 2% of total volume, with most formulators staying between 1% and 8% depending on the strength they want and how thick the base oil is. Always dilute, always test a small batch first, and add gradually — you can mix in more, but you can’t take it out. Start low, taste, and dial in the profile your market loves.