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ARTICLE
ARTICLE
Antimicrobial: Terpinolene may possess antimicrobial properties but there has yet to be a study
which looked at solely its antibacterial abilities;
everything has looked at whole-plant oil extracts.
In 1995, researchers examined tea tree oil for its
antimicrobial properties and found it to have significant potential as a antimicrobial agent. Tea
tree oil is made up of numerous terpenes including terpinolene but also cineole, linalool, and
over a dozen others.
By: Mitchell Colbert
Terpene Profile: Terpinolene
Terpene Profile: Terpinolene
A decade later in 2005, a team of researchers looked at the essential oil from Diplotaenia
damavandica, a plant native to Iran whose oil is
made up of 20% terpinolene. They found it to be
effective against E coli and various other pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus (the nondrug resistant cousin of MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis, a related bacteria commonly
acquired in hospitals.
Cancer: This 2012 study published in Oncology
Letters showed that terpinolene could downregulate certain cell proteins which would slow
the growth of cancers and have other helpful effects in the body. The cancer fighting potential of
terpinolene was expanded on in 2013 when this
study showed that terpinolene decreased the
cell proliferation of neuroblastoma cells. They
also found it to be an anti-oxidant; it is unclear if
these properties are related.
Heart Disease: In this 2005 study, terpinolene in
concert with Vitamins A and E, was shown to be
an effective treatment for heart disease by preventing Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation.
LDL is the so-called bad cholesterol and a major contributor to heart disease, which is still the
le ading cause of death in America every
year.
I
n this issue of Terpene Profiles, the properties of terpinolene are broken down and the therapeutic
benefits are explored. Get to know this terpene and discover what studies are currently being done
to determine its wide variety of medicinal benefits.
Formula: C10H16
Molecular Mass: 136.23404 g/mol
Boiling Point: 183-220 °C (361-428 °F)
Vapor Pressure: Unknown
LD50 (Lethal Dose): >4,000 mg/kg (Compare to Nicotine: for mice – 3mg/kg, for humans – 40–60 mg/kg)
if is
Terpinolene has a smokey or woody odor and not both. It does help fight cancer like most other cannabinoids, and it is anti-fungal as well as anfound in apple, cumin, lilac and tea tree. Terpinti-bacterial. Terpinolene is a sedative which may
olene is also known as δ-terpinene, or delta terpinene. All terpinenes have the same molecular be helpful in cancer treatment if patients
also
have
formula, weight and framework, but they differ difficulty sleeping, possibly in conjunction
in the placement of the carbon-carbon double other terpenes or cannabinoids like linalool
with
and
bonds. Terpinolene is neither an analgesic or an cannabinol, Outside of the human body, teranti-inflammatory, which is surprising as most
pinolene has been shown to be an effective natucannabinoids and terpenoids are one of the ral method to repel both mosquitoes and weevils.
two,
An article published by Natural Product Research in 2010, looking at the oil from a different Iranian plant, which had only a 6.12% terpinolene content, found the oil to be an effective
antibacterial agent. An article published in 2011
by Natural Product Communications looking at
the oil from bicolor Gypsophila, a plant in the
clove family, found its oil to have a moderately
strong effect against bacteria and a potent one
against fungi.
Antioxidant: This 2014 study sought to see the
potential genotoxic and oxidative damage that
terpinolene could cause. Instead they found it to
be an antioxidant, as Aydin et Al discovered in
their 2013 study on the anti-proliferative properties of terpinolene.
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Sedative: An article in the October 2013
issue of the Journal of Natural Medicines looked
at the sedative properties of terpinolene and
found it to be a notable sedative. Though the
study was only done on mice these findings are
promising for anyone who has insomnia and is
looking for a natural remedy.