# Humulene

> Humulene (alpha-humulene) is a woody, earthy, hop-like sesquiterpene, an isomer of beta-caryophyllene that usually appears alongside it in cannabis profiles.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/humulene.html
- Also written: alpha-humulene, α-humulene, alpha-caryophyllene, α-caryophyllene
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Humulene, properly alpha-humulene, is a monocyclic [sesquiterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sesquiterpene.md) first identified in hops (*Humulus lupulus*), cannabis's closest cultivated relative. It smells woody, earthy and herbal, the "noble hop" note in beer. Its older name, alpha-caryophyllene, reflects that it is an isomer of [beta-caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md); the two are often produced by the same [terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) synthase.

## In practice

On a [terpene panel](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-test.md), humulene typically reads at roughly a third of the beta-caryophyllene figure, around 0.05-0.3% w/w in flower. If a [COA](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/coa.md) shows high caryophyllene with no humulene at all, it's worth asking whether humulene was in the lab's method. As a sesquiterpene it is fairly persistent through drying and storage.

## Don't confuse with

- **Humulone**: a bitter acid from hops, not a terpene and not in cannabis.
- **Beta-caryophyllene**: its isomer, spicier and peppery.
- **Caryophyllene oxide**: an oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene, not of humulene (humulene epoxides exist but are seldom reported).

## Related terms

[Beta-caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md), [Sesquiterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sesquiterpene.md), [Terpene profile](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-profile.md), [Terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md)

## Sources

1. Booth JK, Bohlmann J. 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Science 284:67-72.