Full-spectrum terpene extract (HTFSE)

A term used to describe one of the two parts that form when a full-spectrum extract is made from cannabis flowers and allowed to separate in the laboratory. In marijuana-based extracts, this fraction contains more terpenes than the other part High-Cannabinoid Full-Spectrum Extract a full-spectrum extract. Full-spectrum extracts with high terpene content typically consist of about 50 % of THCA and 13 to 40 % of terpenes, depending on the composition of the source plant. Depending on their overall texture, HTFSE extracts are sometimes referred to as “sauce.”.

Learn more about the HTFSE

High-terpene full-spectrum extracts (HTFSE) are, as their name suggests, full-spectrum extracts characterized by relatively high concentrations of terpenes. Full-spectrum extracts are produced with the aim of preserving the complex range of compounds found in the raw cannabis plant. In the context of cannabis, the term «spectrum» refers to the full range of compounds produced by the plant’s trichome glands, excluding undesirable molecules such as waxes, lipids, and fats.

The effects of cannabis that we experience are the result of complex interactions between cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes that occur in the plant’s glandular trichomes. Although the most important cannabinoids—namely tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), while cannabinoids are largely responsible for the most noticeable effects of cannabis, terpenes and flavonoids play a major role by working in synergy with them.

Popular extracts that can be considered full-spectrum include the sauce and the live resin. The sauce may be a full-spectrum product, but this is not guaranteed because the solvent removal process used during extraction can alter the spectrum of desirable compounds. Live resin is also not guaranteed to be a full-spectrum extract, but it generally retains more of the plant’s terpenes than any other extract.

Whether or not a particular sauce or live resin can be considered an HTFSE depends on how the product was extracted and whether it was part of an extraction process that separated the high-terpene extract from the high-cannabinoid extract.

HTFSE vs. HCFSE

The difference between a full-spectrum extract with a high terpene content and a full-spectrum extract with a high cannabinoid content lies in how the two are extracted and separated from one another. When a full-spectrum extract is made from dried flowers, it separates into two fractions under specific conditions: HTFSE and HCFSE. HTFSE tends to take the form of a granular liquid or a sauce-like substance, while HCFSE tends to take the form of a sugar or diamond-like extract. When extracted from marijuana strains, HCFSE contains approximately 90 % of THCA, while HTFSE contains approximately 50 %, with a higher percentage of terpenes, ranging from 13 to 40 %. THCA is the acid form of THC, and it decarboxylizes into active THC when exposed to heat.

Although the spectrum of an HTFSE or HCFSE is not the same as that of a living plant, they are still considered full-spectrum because they have captured all the compounds available at the time of extraction.

Why choose terpenes over cannabinoids?

If people turn to cannabis concentrates for their potency and effects, why choose a 50 % THCA extract like HTFSE over a 90 % THCA extract like HCFSE? This is because THCA alone is not necessarily more effective—in terms of both therapeutic effects and intoxication—than an extract with a lower THCA content but higher levels of other compounds, particularly terpenes.

You may have heard of the’entourage effect. This is a term coined by the Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam to describe the combined effect of cannabis compounds that work together to produce a more significant overall effect. This is why a combination of cannabis compounds can be more potent and more therapeutic than a single compound, including THC.

Ultimately, the choice between HTFSE and HCFSE comes down to personal preference, as well as how cannabis affects you as an individual. Although it is lower in THCA than HCFSE, HTFSE generally contains a higher amount of terpenes and other desirable compounds, and may ultimately provide a wider range of desirable effects.