Beta-caryophyllene (BCP) is a bicyclic sesquiterpene found in black pepper, cloves, hops and many cannabis cultivars. It smells spicy, woody and peppery. It is one of the most common dominant terpenes in commercial flower and usually travels with alpha-humulene, which is made by the same family of enzymes.
In practice
Readings of 0.2-0.8% w/w are common in flower. As a sesquiterpene it is less volatile than the monoterpenes, so its share of the total often rises in stored material. In air it slowly oxidises to caryophyllene oxide. Lab studies have shown it binds CB2 receptors, which made it famous. That's a pharmacology finding, not a promise of any effect from smoking a flower, and GenetixBay makes no health claims.
Don't confuse with
- Caryophyllene oxide: the oxidised derivative, less aromatic.
- Humulene: its isomeric partner, woodier and earthier.
- Alpha-caryophyllene: an older name for humulene, a source of confusion.
A sesquiterpene is a fifteen-carbon terpene made from farnesyl pyrophosphate, such as beta-caryophyllene, humulene and bisabolol; they are heavier and less volatile than monoterpenes.A dominant allele is one whose effect shows in the phenotype even when only one copy is present, masking the other (recessive) allele at that locus.Terpenes are volatile hydrocarbon compounds built from five-carbon isoprene units; in cannabis they are made in the trichome heads and are a major part of aroma and flavour.Humulene (alpha-humulene) is a woody, earthy, hop-like sesquiterpene, an isomer of beta-caryophyllene that usually appears alongside it in cannabis profiles.A monoterpene is a ten-carbon terpene made from geranyl pyrophosphate, such as myrcene, limonene, pinene or terpinolene; they are the most volatile terpenes and the first lost in drying.Caryophyllene oxide is the oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene, a less aromatic sesquiterpene epoxide that tends to increase as cannabis ages in air.A terpene profile is the measured mix of terpenes in a sample, reported as each compound's % w/w and the total, used to describe and compare cultivar aroma chemistry.Myrcene (beta-myrcene) is a monoterpene with a musky, earthy, ripe-fruit aroma and is the most common dominant terpene in commercial cannabis flower.
