A sesquiterpene contains fifteen carbons, three isoprene units, built from farnesyl pyrophosphate. The common ones in cannabis are beta-caryophyllene (spicy, peppery), alpha-humulene (woody, hoppy), alpha-bisabolol (floral, chamomile-like), nerolidol (woody, floral), guaiol (piney, woody) and valencene (citrus). The oxygenated forms are sesquiterpenoids.
In practice
Sesquiterpenes are less volatile than monoterpenes, so in stored or dried flower their share of the terpene total tends to rise even if the absolute amount is steady. A profile that reads "caryophyllene and humulene dominant" in old material may have been "myrcene and limonene dominant" when fresh. When comparing COAs, check how old the sample was and how it was stored. Beta-caryophyllene is also unusual because it binds the CB2 receptor in lab studies; no health claims follow from that.
Don't confuse with
- Monoterpene: C10, lighter, more volatile.
- Caryophyllene oxide: an oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene.
- Diterpene: C20 compounds, minor in cannabis aroma.
Beta-caryophyllene is a spicy, peppery sesquiterpene common in cannabis, notable as a dietary terpene that also binds the CB2 receptor in laboratory studies.Bisabolol (alpha-bisabolol) is a mild, floral, chamomile-like sesquiterpene alcohol found as a minor terpene in some cannabis cultivars.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.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.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.Myrcene (beta-myrcene) is a monoterpene with a musky, earthy, ripe-fruit aroma and is the most common dominant terpene in commercial cannabis flower.Limonene is a monoterpene with a citrus aroma, found in citrus peel and many cannabis cultivars, where it is often among the top three terpenes.Caryophyllene oxide is the oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene, a less aromatic sesquiterpene epoxide that tends to increase as cannabis ages in air.Humulene (alpha-humulene) is a woody, earthy, hop-like sesquiterpene, an isomer of beta-caryophyllene that usually appears alongside it in cannabis profiles.Nerolidol is a woody, floral, slightly citrus sesquiterpene alcohol found in neroli, jasmine and tea, and as a minor terpene in some cannabis cultivars.
