Terpene of the Month: Farnesene | AusCannaReviews
Have you ever heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? It could be because of the terpene Farnesene found in abundance in the skin of green apples such as the Granny Smith. Considered a minor terpene when it comes to the cannabis plant, there are two types of Farnesene. Alpha Farnesene has a more woody, earthy and spicy scent and can be found in Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg and Ginseng. Beta Farnesene is more tropical and citrusy in aroma and is found in Grapefruit, Hops, Chamomile, and green apple skins.
Chamomile is derived from the Greek words chamos (ground) because of its low-growing characteristics and melos (apple), in reference to the apple scent of fresh Chamomile blossoms. As far back as the writings of Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) Chamomile has been used for its mild sedative, muscle relaxing, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties.
Anthriscus Nemorosa often referred to as Chervil is another plant high in Farnesene used in traditional medicine for generations in Turkey to treat gastrointestinal ailments, inflammation and rheumatism. Additionally, the roots of the plant have been used in cough remedies, to reduce fevers, and relieve pain in Chinese traditional medicine.
A 2013 study published in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology on oxidative stress in cellular macromolecules, one of the leading causes of the loss and impairment of neurons in several neurodegenerative disorders, showed that pretreatment with Farnesene suppressed the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress in newborn rat cerebral cortex cell cultures. This means Farnesene could have potential therapeutic values for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s like neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system.
There are lots of studies out there that discuss the benefits of integrated pest control using Beta Farnesene which is a secondary metabolite in some plants that provides an indirect defense against aphids. At the same time, it’s also an alarm pheromone in aphids released in response to predators to reduce predation risk. The issue with Beta Farnesene is that it’s highly sensitive to air and oxygen. In normal sunlight and temperature conditions only trace amounts of Beta Farnesene are detectable after 48 hours. To solve this problem a study published in Pest Management Science in March 2021 showed that a combination of Beta Farnesene and herbivore‐induced methyl salicylate in a slow-release alginate bead was the most effective formulation to control wheat aphids.
If you’re looking for medicinal cultivars on the Australian market that are high in Farnesene**…
Phytoca’s Zurple Punch (LSO) (Total Farnesene 0.75%)
Cultiva’s Lee Anne Womac (Total Farnesene 0.61%)
Wild Flower’s Hakea T27 (Total Farnesene 0.54%)
SatiVite’s Okanagan 19 (Total Farnesene 0.46%)
Alfie Therapeutics’s MAC-1 (Total Farnesene 0.43%)
Beacon Medical’s Black Dolato Flower (Total Farnesene 0.42%)
Endoca Australia’s Lemon Cloves (Total Farnesene 0.40%)
Beacon Medical’s Pink Kush Flower (Total Farnesene 0.36%)
Wild Flower’s Grevillea T23 (Total Farnesene 0.34%)
SatiVite’s Kannbi (Total Farnesene 0.33%)
**This data was provided by Catalyst by honahlee. The honahlee team requires all product suppliers to verify their terpene percentages beyond the suppliers’ brochure or health professional marketing claims via a Certificate of Analysis (COA) with measured terpene value for the products to be searchable.
This substack aims to provide anecdotal information from my personal experiences in hopes it will lead to meaningful conversations between my readers and their healthcare professionals about medicinal cannabis.
I have no formal training in medicine or science. This article does not constitute medical advice.