By Luke Sumpter

Almost every weed smoker and cannabis consumer is aware of the different cannabinoids within the plant, and how they act to offer different highs and varying medicinal properties. But, what if I told you, that there’s far more to cannabis than just cannabinoids? There are whole other families of molecules, that contribute to the diversity in experience, that occurs from strain to strain.

Another major component of cannabis are terpenes, volatile aromatic compounds, that occur all throughout the plant kingdom. Terpenes are responsible for the stunning scents and aromas found within buds. The variation of terpene content can be huge, resulting in strains, that offer completely different sensory experiences.

Strains with more of a mango scent contain more myrcene, whereas those, that smell more like citrus are richer in limonene. These compounds don’t just smell good, but can also alter the psychoactive and medicinal effects of cannabinoids via the entourage effect.

Another terpene found frequently within cannabis is cineol, also known as eucalyptol. This terpene is responsible for the pleasurable and cooling scents found within eucalyptus, mint, rosemary, tea tree, mugwort, bay leaves, sweet basil, sage, and certain strains of cannabis. This organic compound was first identified by Francois Stanislas Cloez in 1870.

The potent, cooling, yet spicy aroma has been used throughout various industries and is often found within cosmetics, lotions, essential oil blends, and balms. Beyond its scent profile, eucalyptol has been studied pretty intensely and has shown to have numerous potential applications within the domain of medicine.

Strains high in the terpene could help to assist medical patients who are experiencing conditions, that the science shows cineol to be effective for.

Eucalytpol Terpene In Cannabis

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Cineol may have a positive effect on Alzheimer’s disease due to its potential to enhance memory and learning. Terpenes are so small that they can easily pass the blood-brain barrier, meaning that they can induce direct effects upon the brain.

Studies have administered cineol during memory testing to see what effects it could catalyse. A 2012 study[1] involving 22 participants tested cineol's effect on mood and memory. Selected participants were exposed to rosemary essential oil, which contains cineol. As these participants were assigned mathematical tasks, rosemary oil was diffused into the testing room in varying quantities.

A positive correlation was seen between the amount of correct answers and higher blood levels of cineol. Therefore, cineol may contribute towards improved cognition, possibly easing some symptoms experienced with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cineol may also help another element of Alzheimer’s disease. During the condition, beta-amyloid plaque proteins start to accumulate within the brain and block cell-to-cell signalling at synapses. These proteins may also initiate inflammation. Cineol has been reported[2] to decrease the inflammation caused by amyloid beta plaques.

Eucalyptol Terpen Against Alzheimer's Disease

ANTIBACTERIAL

Cineol research[3] has revealed the molecule to be effective against certain strains of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus, showing its potency as an antibacterial.

Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria, that is resistant to certain conventional antibiotic drugs. The bacteria can contribute towards numerous conditions associated with it, including impetigo, skin abscesses, wound infections, and folliculitis. The potential of cineol as an antibacterial may mean it is one day recruited as a form of medication to combat and prevent such infections within the body.

ANTIOXIDANT

Antioxidant compounds have become very popular within the health and fitness industries. Antioxidants act to neutralise free radicals within the system, preventing them from inflicting DNA damage through oxidation.

A theory surrounding antioxidants suggests, that increased intake may protect against the development of cancer. Antioxidants are also associated with slowing down the ageing process and preventing heart disease and stroke.

Cineol has been proven[4] to act as an antioxidant and may therefore offer these benefits. A 2011 study published within the journal Toxicology and Industrial Health administered cineol to rats who were exposed to a persistent environmental pollutant. The researchers concluded, that cineol displayed antioxidant activity and eliminated oxidative stress within the rats in a time-dependant manner.

Eucalyptol Leaves Terpene

ANTICANCER

Perhaps the most profound aspect of cineol is the molecule’s anticancer action. A 2002 paper[5] published within Oncology Reports details an investigation in which cineol was administered to human leukaemia cell lines. The researchers found, that cineol suppressed the growth of the leukaemia cell lines due to inducing apoptosis.

Apoptosis is described as programmed cell death and is required in the body to maintain normal cell turnover and proper function of the immune system. Too little or too much apoptosis can be the cause of numerous health conditions, including many types of cancers, which are the result of cell mutation. The ability of cineol to suppress cancer cell line growth and to induce apoptosis makes it a potential future therapeutic within the domain of cancer treatments.

ASTHMA

Cineol may also serve as an effective therapeutic when it comes to asthma. Asthma is a common inflammatory disease, that affects the airways of the lungs. Symptoms can include coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Asthma triggers include allergens, irritants, exercise, and chest infections.

A 2012 paper[6] published within the Journal of Asthma showed that cineole can result in improvement in lung function and health, and can reduce dyspnea in asthma patients.

External Resources:
  1. Effects of Rosemary Essential Oil on Mood and Memory | NHRI http://www.naturalhealthresearch.org
  2. 1,8-Cineole (Eucalyptol) Mitigates Inflammation in Amyloid Beta Toxicated PC12 Cells: Relevance to Alzheimer’s Disease | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com
  3. Essential oil variation in the populations of Artemisia spicigera from northwest of Iran: Chemical composition and antibacterial activity http://www.tandfonline.com
  4. SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research http://journals.sagepub.com
  5. Antitumor effect of 1, 8-cineole against colon cancer https://www.spandidos-publications.com
  6. Patients with Asthma Benefit from Concomitant Therapy with Cineole: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial http://www.tandfonline.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: