WHAT IS OCIMENE?
Yet another fragrant terpene, this acyclic monoterpene is a relative rarity in most cannabis plants, but abundant in many other fruits and herbs. Think kumquat, mango, mint, lavender and bergamot.
WHAT IS OCIMENE’S AROMA?
It’s often used in perfume for its tropical and woody aroma.
ESSENTIAL OILS AND OCIMENE
Ocimene is often found in the essential oils of black pepper as well as basil.
HOW IS OCIMENE USED?
Botanists comment on its natural ability to repel pests like aphids in the plants that generate it. It’s also used in the perfume industry due to its mixture of tropical and deciduous aromas.
WHAT IS OCIMENE’S BOILING POINT
About 149° Fahrenheit.
Fun Fact: because honeybees successfully seek out ocimene, law enforcement has considered replacing sniffer dogs with honeybees in their hunt for illicit cannabis.
OCIMENE EFFECTS
- Decongestant: Helps in clearing nasal passages and expel mucus and phlegm.
- Antifungal: The ocimene-rich essential oils of wild marigold and tillandisia filifolia were found to inhibit the mycelial production of three fungi that infect crops, making it a far more sustainable fungicide for farmers. It’s also shown effectiveness on Candida as well.
- Antiinflammatory: The essential oils from another tropical plant, citrus unshiu, which contained 5.8% ocimene, effectively suppressed inflammatory cytokine production..
- Anti-viral: Six ocimene-containing essential oils derived from several Lebanon-native plants were assessed for their activity towards herpes simplex and SARS. In particular, the activity of Laurus Nobilis was noted on SARS, scoring high on an inhibitory potency level at very low concentrations.
- Anti-convulsant: In a mice study where seizures were induced, an essential oil of ocimum gratissimum containing several isomers of ocimene was shown to reduce mortality by 50%.
- These are just some of the potential benefits discovered in various studies. With more studies being done on terpenes we can expect to see more practical uses of the Ocimene terpene.
CANNABIS STRAINS WITH OCIMENE
While Ocimene is a rarified terpene, it still pops up in various strains, particularly those with citrus notes, such as…
- Clementine
- Dream Queen
- Dutch Treat
- Golden Pineapple
- Green Crack
- Himalayan Gold
- Arjan’s Haze #3
- J1
Because of its trace presence in most plants compared to big players such as myrcene and beta-caryophyllene, there’s yet to be a definitive study on cannabinoid-ocimene synergies — another frontier for cannabis mavens to explore…
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