I've made a few posts now about trying the individual terpenes, I've tried everything except alpha-pinene and I'm going to try to finish up these posts while the experiences are still fresh. I'm running out of motivation unfortunately which is typical behavior for me, so I want to finish off strong with this post to at least get the info out there. When I do eventually receive and try my alpha-pinene, I'll simply edit this post and add my thoughts on that. This post will contain my brief summaries on all the new terpenes I've tested, plus the old ones too, to make sort of a mega-post.

Some of the newer terpenes I have not yet tried mixed with HHC, but if/when I do, I'll just come back and edit this post. I'm pretty good about doing that. You can also PM me worst case scenario to ask about the specifics of these experiments :)

Message to r/altcannabinoids: Hopefully this data helps us figure out how terpenes affect the cannabis high, whether it may be subtle or profound. I think it'll be useful to share this data with the community.

Methods:

• Terpenes alone consumed via transdermal, oral (w/ mct lecithin), and diffused
• Terpenes with cannabis tested via inhaled (98% HHC 2% terpene) or via transdermal terpene and inhaled HHC (100% HHC 12.5mg transdermal terpene)
• Terpene dosage ranges between 6.25mg and 25mg
• Oral terpenes formulated using MCT oil and liquid sunflower lecithin (essential for absorption)
• Terpenes purchased from CONSOLIDATED CHEMICALS & SOLVENTS on Amazon (unaffiliated, just thought they were cheap and easily accessible)

Terpene thoughts:

• Beta-caryophyllene: Very deeply physically and mentally relaxing. A strong body high, some light dissociation, lightly disinhibiting, and stoning. Some eye-pressure and wateriness. Pretty substantial pain relief, along with strong emotional relief. The sensation is very similar to stepping into a hot tub or a hot shower, it is extremely pleasant. While using this terpene I frequently find myself lying flat on my back on the floor because it feels so comfortable and wonderful. Tastes woody and earthy.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: Similar to the above but much milder, likely due to the reduced dosage. Feels very similar to CBC in terms of body feel and relaxation, but w/o the mood uplift and emotion/euphoria that CBC provides. I called it "dark mode CBC".
• D-limonene: A warm and stimulating feeling. Extremely strong headbanding effect, meaning pressure around the temples and head, to an almost painful extent, along with dumbfoundedness. A light tingly body high, with some eye pressure sensations.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: A much milder sensation to the above, but still induced headbanding. Adds quite a bit of stimulation to the high. Tastes lemony/citrusy.
• Citral: An initial ~30m period of dysphoria, chills, intestinal discomfort, anxiety, followed by a warm, euphoric release for the remainder of the experience, along with sensory enhancement (sound, touch, smell, temperature, etc). Mental stimulation, a feeling of connectedness, some body buzzing, and a quiet mind. Tastes citrusy and spicy.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: A much milder and more palatable sensation to the above, adding euphoria and sensory enhancement to the high.
• Camphor: Stimulation (mental and physical) and focus enhancement. Some sedation and calmness in lower dosages, with light dissociation. In higher dosages, the stimulation becomes extremely tweaky and restless/impulsive, with a significant loss of interoception (loss of heartbeat sensation, breathing sensation, etc. Almost like I'm just a floating head). Lots of jaw/muscle clenching, wakefulness, music enhancement, and euphoria. Felt like a very strong PEA-type stimulant. RISKY FOR SYSTEMIC USE DUE TO POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SEIZURES IN OVERDOSE. Unknown taste.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Menthol: Very mild in effect, the mildest of all the tested terpenes. A cold, refreshing, clearheaded state of mind. Very meditative and zen. Mild stimulation and mild dissociation. Clears the mind and feels very peaceful. Perfect for meditation or grounding. Unknown taste.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Beta-pinene: Feels very grounding and peaceful. It is moderately sedating, which contrasts with some mild focus enhancement. It makes my mind feel quiet and calms anxiety. It feels like taking a walk outside, very crisp and serene. I'd enjoy taking it for some sedentary activity in nature, but the sedation may be too much for something like a hike. Tastes piney and perfumey.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Cedrol: Very strong sedation, trouble thinking, brain fog, slowed breathing, couch lock, some mild euphoria, moderate muscle relaxation, strong pain relief (dulls and nullifies pain). This one was quite scary at first due to how strongly it depressed my breathing. In future attempts, the effect was more manageable. I take a beta-blocker, I suspect that contributed to this experience. The pain relief is quite potent. This one is a true muscle relaxer, and I'd advise extreme caution using it, as it was definitely the most potent terpene tested, requiring only 6.25-12.5mg for full effects. RISKY FOR SYSTEMIC USE DUE TO RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION AND TIGHT DOSE RANGES. Tastes like cedar and wood.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: Strongly potentiates the high in terms of strength and duration. Extends the duration of the high by 50-100%.
• Myrcene: A moderately strong euphoriant, producing strong mood uplift, moderate euphoria, increased sociability, emotional enhancement, empathy, and some warmness. It has a light, warm, tingly body high, and makes the body feel very comfortable. Reduces social anxiety quite a bit. Tastes fruity and perfumey.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Eugenol: A weird mixture of dissociation and stimulation/euphoria, almost like a low dose salvia meets low dose kratom. The euphoria is mild and is localized to the body along with stimulation, with dissociation and emotional dampening occurring mentally. Some mild sedation and relaxed breathing (not depressed breathing unlike cedrol). RISKY FOR SYSTEMIC AND ORAL USE DUE TO LIVER TOXICITY CONCERNS. Tastes spicy and woody.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Linalool: Another one of the milder terpenes providing stress relief, moderate anxiety relief, a quiet mind, and calmness. Unlike some of the other anxiety-relieving terpenes, this one does not cause sedation, which makes it more functional. It's a very non-intoxicating terpene. Tastes like lavender or flowers.
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN
• Alpha-pinene: UNKNOWN (yet to receive)
  • w/ 98% HHC 2% terpene: UNKNOWN

Personal ranking:

• Beta-caryophyllene: S, just fantastic all-around w/ minimal side effects
• D-limonene: C, didn't enjoy the headbanding
• Citral: A, I see potential for self-healing similar to psychedelic microdosing
• Camphor: B, enjoyable but excessively stimulating and intoxicating
• Menthol: A , mild but extremely valuable for introspection and grounding
• Beta-pinene: B , a different style of what menthol provides but more sedating
• Cedrol: S, a true muscle relaxer with excellent potential for pain
• Myrcene: A-, a great euphoriant, mild as it may be
• Eugenol: B-, an interesting experience but unsure of its purpose or repeated-use safety
• Linalool: A, mild but great stress reliever w/ minimal side effects
• Alpha-pinene: UNKNOWN

Conclusion

Thanks for reading. Through this process I did the best research I could to judge toxicity, biological effects, and more. Some resources I used besides studies were EWG's Skin Deep, IFRA's Safe-Use Library, and EssentialOils.org's Database, though these were more useful for judging topical safety. I hope someone finds this information useful; as far as I can tell, there have not been many anecdotal reports of the effects of terpenes when absorbed systemically. Please ask any questions you have, I'm very passionate about this project and am excited to see where this research takes us in the next decade.