Terpenes Spotlight: Myrcene
As public attention and research continue to explore cannabis’s potential benefits and applications, there has been an uptick in interest in active compounds beyond just the cannabinoids THC and CBD.
Terpenes feature prominently in discussions about how cannabis smells and how different terpenes might change your cannabis experience. There are dozens of terpenes found in cannabis flower, the most common being Myrcene (“mur-seen”).
In this post, we’ll discuss,
What Myrcene is
Where Myrcene can be found in nature
What research says about Myrcene use
And if Myrcene has any potential benefits
What Are Terpenes?
Before we dive into Myrcene specifically, let’s quickly recap what terpenes are. Terpenes are volatile, aromatic hydrocarbons found in plants and some animals. That sentence just means that when you stick your nose in a lilac bush, you’re not smelling the physical flower— you’re smelling the terpene compounds that the flower produces and releases into the air.
Terpenes are composed of small units called isoprenes and are classified based on how many isoprenes they contain. As we mentioned, terpenes play a key role in the aromatic profile of many plants that you’re probably already familiar with.
Examples of terpenes include:
Limonene is present in all citrus fruits
Pinene, as the name suggests, is emitted by pine trees
Linalool is found in lavender flowers
What Is Myrcene?
Myrcene is a monoterpene, meaning it’s composed of two isoprene units. Myrcene has a musky, fruity aroma with notes of hops, tropical fruits, and woodsy spices. In the wild, myrcene can be found in mangoes, thyme, lemongrass, cardamom, hops, and cannabis.
In cannabis, myrcene is not only one of the most commonly found terpenes, but it’s also the most commonly dominant terpene. Cannabis cultivars often contain a wide array of terpenes and the terpene with the highest concentration is commonly called the dominant terpene.
Below we’ll list our cannabis cultivars and their corresponding myrcene concentrations, based on our third-party certificates of analysis.
What Is Myrcene For?
Myrcene may offer many potential benefits as many folk medicine traditions seem to embrace it as a key ingredient. In Germany, for example, hops have been used as a sleep aid and there is speculation that this might be thanks in part to hops’ high myrcene content. In Mexico, lemongrass tea, also high in myrcene, has been noted for its sedative properties (1).
When myrcene is administered in combination with THC and CBD— the two major cannabinoids in cannabis— it is thought to contribute to the “couch lock” effect, reinforcing the belief that myrcene may display some sedative effects (2).
Research into the potential health benefits of myrcene is ongoing. Here is a list of some that are still being researched:
Reducing inflammation (3)(4)
Muscle Relaxant (2)
Pain relief (2) (3)
Sleep aid (3)
Anti-anxiety (4)
Antioxidant properties (4)
While research is ongoing, the jury is still out on what benefits myrcene can offer.
Myrcene is the most commonly dominant terpene in cannabis!
Some research suggests that it can contribute to what is known as the “couch lock” effect. (So grab some snacks and settle in.)
Sunset Lake Cannabis Cultivars Featuring Myrcene
Our cannabis cultivars naturally contain a wide range of terpenes. As a matter of practice, we send random samples of all of our cannabis to third-party laboratories in Vermont for cannabinoid, terpene, heavy metal, and pesticide testing. You can see them here.
Here are all of Sunset Lake Cannabis’s 2022 - 2023 cultivars and their myrcene content.
Afghan Kush - 0.147%
All Gas OG - 0.252%
Bubblegum Haze - 0.161%
Do-Si-Dos - 0.170%
Fortune Cookies - 0.078%
Mountaintop Mint - 0.186%
*Pineapple Haze - 0.252%
*Raspberry Parfait - 0.461%
*White Widow - 0.427%
Note that the percentage of terpenes is reported on a dry weight basis. A “*” indicates that myrcene is that cultivar’s dominant terpene.
References
1. Tortoriello, J., & Romero, O. (1992). Plants used by Mexican traditional medicine with presumable sedative properties: an ethnobotanical approach. Archives of medical research, 23(3), 111–116. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1308799/
2. Ahmad, Samoon, and Kevin P. Hill. Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook, Wolters Kluwer, Philadelphia, 2021, p. 112.
3. Russo E. B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British journal of pharmacology, 163(7), 1344–1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x
4. Surendran, S., Qassadi, F., Surendran, G., Lilley, D., & Heinrich, M. (2021). Myrcene-What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent?. Frontiers in nutrition, 8, 699666. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.699666
