Purple Milk, Caryophyllene and CBN, and Regulating vs. Affecting

There are some distinctions in cannabis that are immediate and oftentimes obvious, like the difference between flower and edibles, or the wide range of THC percentages found in different strains. Some distinctions however are more granular or subtle like the same strain grown by different cultivators, or resin vs. rosin. And some are the kinds that we don’t even consider until we run into a roadblock and have been forced to reconsider some aspect of our cannabis use. Purple Milk got me thinking about one of these seemingly less obvious distinctions, one that comes up with customers often enough, but that many people – myself included – hadn’t considered until we had to grapple with cannabis not doing something that it seemed like it should be doing. This distinction is the difference between regulating and affecting; some strains, cannabinoids, terpenes, etc. regulate some function of our body or mind, and some directly seem to affect some function, and the difference between the two can be night and day for some people.

The night and day difference is a bit more literal here as well. This important distinction – regulating vs. affecting – really came into stark contrast working with customers who were having trouble with sleep, and as I explored options with them. I have to give the upper level decision makers at the dispensary where I work a lot of credit here. They decided a little over a year ago to try a new in-house gummy that included CBN in addition to the strain-specific full spectrum Cross Eyed Mary cannabis extraction. I will admit, I was reticent at first, as there hadn’t been recent, thorough, peer-reviewed studies on the effects of CBN, and while I am someone who lives in narratives (as I wrote about here), when it comes to what cannabis does in our bodies, I like to know the science. It’s why I’m really skeptical of delta-8 and delta-10 THC; some of the more recent studies have had some concerning potential results that show it may be harmful to use in high enough doses to actually get high. But, as always, I digress.

But here’s where those fine distinctions come back. For the longest time, looking for cannabis solutions to sleep issues usually had to come down to “What is going to knock me out the hardest?” and not “What will allow me to get a better night’s sleep?” But with CBN in the mix, we finally had a distinct difference between hoping that a particular strain would get you so stoned you’d pass out, and finding the right dose that would help you sleep on your own terms. Early studies showed promise that CBN likely contributes to the regulation of various physiological sleep functions in the body. While there is also evidence that it has very minor psychotropic qualities, those pale in comparison to its seeming ability to “turn on” the ability to go to sleep. I tell my customers truthfully that the way I have experienced CBN is that my smartwatch thinks I fall asleep when the edible kicks in, even if I don’t feel particularly tired in my brain. My breathing and my heart rate go into “sleep mode,” slowing to a comfortable rhythm and pace, such that I typically just go to bed, fall asleep, and generally stay asleep. Plus, falling back asleep if something wakes me (a difficult task for external stimuli such as my kids trying to wake me, much to the chagrin of my wife) I can fall asleep again easily, and I feel more rested in the morning without that “weed hangover” feeling. I mean, sometimes I have that too, but that’s from the other cannabis I used before deciding I needed the CBN boost.

One other piece of this that I’ll touch on here but will certainly explore more in the future is the terpene Caryophyllene. Terpenes – if you’re somehow reading this blog but I haven’t talked your ear off about already – are the flavor and aroma compounds in plants, and in cannabis specifically they also provide the distinct effects from one strain to another. Every cannabis cultivation has many many terpenes, and the top several in any given plant will largely dictate the kinds of highs you’re most likely to feel by having a carrier or entourage effect when hitting your endocannabinoid system with cannabinoids (Don’t worry if this is not familiar terminology. Like I said, I’ll do a deeper dive on this stuff, and for now, just know that what I mean is that the terpenes change the kind of high, but still need the THC, CBD, etc). Everyone is different, and some terpenes affect some people differently, but generally we can use the terps as a roadmap for likely effects.

Caryophyllene is my favorite terpene, and was even before I stumbled across something really fascinating about it: it can affect your system directly, just like a cannabinoid like THC or CBD… or CBN even. It also has carrier effects, and seems to be largely responsible for feelings of euphoria among others. I frequently note that it seems largely connected to the kind of high we associate with many Kush strains. The way Caryophyllene interacts with our systems is functionally similar to something our bodies produce naturally called Anandamide. Anandamide (and thus Caryphyllene) help our bodies and brains regulate our internal temperature, regulate our mood, and regulate our – wait for it – sleep functions. I ran across this while researching cannabis use and menopause, and it’s worth noting here that bodies going through and after perimenopause and menopause produce less Anandamide, so high Caryophyllene cannabis strains can help some people with the lowered regulatory abilities in those areas.

Which brings me to this week’s strain: Purple Milk. Purple Milk is somehow a Sativa-leaning Hybrid, despite being the offspring of two Indica strains, Purple OG Kush and Bubba Kush. Hey, see those Kush strains? Purple Milk’s dominant terpene is Caryophyllene. In fact, a lot of strains that have “purple” in the name are also Caryophyllene dominant. Most are Indica, and many are considered sleepy if not heavy strains. This is one of those times I love to point out Sativa and Indica don’t really matter when it comes to the effects of cannabis, and technically almost everything is a Hybrid anyway. It’s all the terpenes. I’ll come back around to the effects after I talk about the buds.

The flower is heavy and dark, with pale to deep green tones dotted with purple sugar leaves so dark as to be almost black. The buds are heavily frosted with trichomes, and nearly dry to the touch, feeling just the tiniest bit sticky when pressed, which shows them to be unyieldingly dense as well. The aroma is earthy and woody, with light notes of pine, gas, tea, and a grapefruit-like sweetness at the very edges. There’s a vague, dry spice nose-feel, less of an aroma, and more just a sense of spices in the vicinity. It’s really lovely. Many of those individual notes frequently accompany a pungence or muskiness, neither of which I can detect in this strain.

The smoke is also very pleasant, with a medium body and a buttery texture. And here’s where it gets really interesting, as the flavor seems to completely break with the aroma, though staying within predictable parameters. The buttery texture carries over into a creamy and buttery taste, like a film over an otherwise musky grape base. Other than what I noted as a hint of earth, the aroma and flavor notes are completely different, which I almost never experience.

And then there’s the high. If I want to really break someone of the Sativa/Indica stereotypes, this is a great strain for that. The first couple of times I smoked this were in the evening, and while the initial head high was really nice – moderately euphoric, uplifting, giggly, and even dipping a little into an “in the mood” kind of high – the overall effects ended up sending me to sleep. And not the “too stoned on the couch” sleep, but as above, the kind of sleep where my brain and body were telling me “dude, it’s nighttime, you get up at 5 AM, maybe you should turn in.” The first night I smoked Purple Milk I got really sleepy, but the next time I paced myself, packed a slightly smaller bowl, and really leaned into the uplifting side of the high while allowing it to relax me as well. Earlier in the day I find that the head high stays the same, and I can overlook the potential sleepiness by just staying awake. It’s like how I could take a nap at any time, and the thing that stops me from needing a nap all the time is simply the will to or habit of simply staying awake. I haven’t found the perfect use for this strain, but I do like it a lot. I’ll keep playing with it, and if you come visit me at the store, I’ll be happy to keep you updated.

I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope you enjoy Purple Milk if you give it a try. It’s worth doing so.

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