3 x Dope
You remember EST the magnificent one…”He’s the Greatest Man Alive”. If not you missed out! However, the relevance of 3X Dope for cannabis cannot be understated. I am talking trichomes. You may be like what the f#@k is he talking about…or you may be like the shiny stuff on good weed. Either way we need to go deeper than that. Choose the red pill!
Let’s get right into it. Honestmarijuana.com says it simply and clear, “trichomes are the cream of the crop”. This is the pocket of magic that contains all the medicine…why it is often the prettiest and glamorous part of a flower. Trichomes contain the THC, CBD and other beneficial cannabinoids of the marijuana plant. Often times novice users are impressed with the appearance of trichrome ignorant of medicinal properties.
Trichomes are beautifully “fine outgrowths or appendages”, on marijuana plants according to Leafly.com. “Tri” meaning three from Latin and Greek implies the three pronged leaves of the plant. Users tend to be mesmerized by the crystal-like or frosting like appearance upon bud structures. Looks aside,it is the chemistry of the structure that is why we true fans of the bio-structure pay homage. A key element of this chemistry is terpenes.
All of the smells, flavors, and aromas we enjoy before the toking experience are owed to one biological brilliance…terpenes! Weedmaps.com states it clearly and to the point that terpenes produce tastes and scents as a reaction from interacting within cannabis trichomes. The funk is within the crystal baby, and we now know why the Dark Crystal was so hunted by the Skeksis.
Trichomes appear on marijuana plants towards the end of the flowering stage as medicalmarijuana.com reminds us. Trichomes are filled with resin and indicate to growers when the plants should be harvested. If handled roughly at harvest users may, unfortunately bare witness to few intact trichomes.
Not only at harvest, but handled inappropriately when time to break down buds can destroy trichomes potency as well. We know to keep our finger out of our nose, its a no brainer! “Don’t stick your fingers up your nose, cuz your nose knows its not the place it goes”…and don’t stick your fingers in your trichomes. God made fingers for pointing and grinders for preserving the cannabinoids of trichomes. We will explore the best type of grinders in upcoming articles.
