Eucalyptol, also called 1,8-cineole, is a cyclic monoterpenoid ether. It dominates eucalyptus oil and is present in rosemary, sage, bay laurel and cardamom. Its smell is fresh, cool, medicinal and camphorous. In cannabis it is usually a trace-to-minor component of the profile.
In practice
Readings in flower are typically low, often not detected to below 0.1% w/w. A few cultivars carry a recognisable "menthol" or eucalyptus note in which eucalyptol plays a part, though other compounds such as fenchol or borneol can contribute similar cool notes. Not every terpene panel includes it.
Don't confuse with
- Menthol: a different monoterpenoid alcohol from mint; not typical in cannabis.
- Camphor: a ketone with a related smell, sometimes on extended panels.
- Eucalyptus oil: a mixture; eucalyptol is its main but not only component.
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.ND (non-detect) on a COA means the compound was not found at or above the method's limit of detection; it does not mean the amount is zero.A terpene test measures the individual terpenes and total terpene content of a sample, usually by GC-FID or GC-MS, reported in % w/w or mg/g.A terpenoid is a terpene-derived compound that carries extra functional groups, usually oxygen (alcohols, oxides, ketones), such as linalool, bisabolol or caryophyllene oxide.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.Alpha-pinene is a bicyclic monoterpene with a sharp pine-resin aroma, the main terpene of conifer needles and a common, usually secondary, terpene in cannabis.
