Effect · easing pain

Cannabis strains for pain

Q: Which terpene works best for chronic pain?

β-Caryophyllene, through CB2 activation. It is the only cannabis terpene classified as a phytocannabinoid. Strains with β-caryophyllene as their main terpene, often combined with α-humulene, α-bisabolol or camphene, sit right at the top for us. How we calculate the score is laid out on the methodology page.

Q: What helps more with nerve pain: THC or CBD?

Both have their own profiles. THC acts as a central analgesic, CBD works as a modulator and anti-inflammatory. Studies on chronic neuropathic pain show synergistic effects (1:1 ratios). terpen.cloud shows CBD values per variant in the strain table.

Pain relief is attributed in the literature primarily to β-caryophyllene (a CB2 agonist), α-humulene, α-bisabolol and β-myrcene. terpen.cloud scores strains by terpene profile. THC and CBD values are shown separately as filters but do not feed into the ranking.

Which terpenes matter

β-Caryophyllene is the selective CB2 receptor agonist among the cannabis terpenes, with a replicated effect in the mouse model for inflammatory and neuropathic pain (Klauke et al. 2014). α-Humulene and α-bisabolol add further analgesic mechanisms, and β-myrcene reinforces the effect through GABA-mediated muscle and pain relief.

Pain has no antagonist in our scoring: physical effects do not clash with mental goals like mood or focus. THC and CBD shares do not feed into the score. A low-THC strain like Bedrolite can sit near the top of the pain ranking if its humulene and caryophyllene profile is strong. For the method details, see the methodology page.

Score distribution in the inventory

1166 strains scored

Very strong 9–10 67

Strong 7–9 88

Moderate 5–7 439

Weak 2–5 513

No match < 2 59

Common questions

Which terpene works best for chronic pain?

β-Caryophyllene, through CB2 activation. It is the only cannabis terpene classified as a phytocannabinoid. Strains with β-caryophyllene as their main terpene, often combined with α-humulene, α-bisabolol or camphene, sit right at the top for us. How we calculate the score is laid out on the methodology page.

What helps more with nerve pain: THC or CBD?

Both have their own profiles. THC acts as a central analgesic, CBD works as a modulator and anti-inflammatory. Studies on chronic neuropathic pain show synergistic effects (1:1 ratios). terpen.cloud shows CBD values per variant in the strain table.

Which terpenes matter

Score distribution in the inventory

Common questions

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