“A miracle gift of nature.”
That’s how Dr. Bahare Salehi and a multinational research team described pinene in the peer-reviewed journal, Biomolecules. The research paper’s opening summary lists more than 20 known therapeutic benefits of this naturally occurring terpene, which address everything from stomach disorders, high blood pressure, and arthritis pain to acne, staph infections, and cancer therapies.
Pinene is one of the most commonly occurring of the 200-plus known terpenes found in medical marijuana. While not all of the benefits mentioned above may be associated with cannabis use, pinene is known to have a significant effect on the nature and efficacy of medical marijuana. Before getting into the details, it’s worth reviewing the basic science of this most common terpene.
What Is Pinene?
As the name suggests, this is the terpene that gives pine trees their familiar scent, and it is also abundant in cedar and eucalyptus trees, orange rinds, parsley, basil dill and oranges. Oranges don’t smell like pine trees because there are two slightly different versions of this terpene: alpha-pinene (α-pinene) and beta-pinene (β-pinene).
Alpha-pinene smells like pine resin and rosemary, while beta-pinene’s aroma is reminiscent of herbs like basil, parsley, dill, and hop. Pinene is the most plentiful aromatic terpene in the plant kingdom and one of marijuana’s most common terpenes. It protects plants against fungal infections and is an effective bug-repellant, which is probably why it is found in so many varieties of cannabis plants. The ratio of alpha to beta impacts the scent profile of individual strains of marijuana and influences the physiological effects of medicinal cannabis.
More on that later.
What Are The Effects And Benefits Of Pinene?
Pinene is a highly bioactive monoterpene, which is the molecularly simplest form of terpene. This relative chemical simplicity allows it to bind and interact with a wide range of organic compounds. This is likely the reason for the impressive list of therapeutic benefits and for what is known as the “entourage effect.”
Pinene Can Reduce Stress And Anxiety, Promote Healthful Relaxation And Provide Restful Sleep
In medical marijuana circles, pinene-rich cannabis strains are considered good choices for stress and anxiety reduction. A growing body of research backs this belief. It has natural anxiety-reducing properties similar to popular anti-anxiety drugs. In a Japanese study, mice provided with a daily inhalation of alpha-pinene showed lower levels of stress and anxiety. The latest findings, released in the summer of 2024, indicate that under laboratory conditions alpha-pinene can reduce anxiety and depressive tendencies while reducing memory loss.
Pinene can also mimic what is known as the green space effect. Numerous studies have shown that spending time in forests and other green spaces is good for both mental and physical health, and the pinene scents emitted by trees and other plants are thought to be the reason for these effects. Research from the American Heart Association shows that spending time in green spaces is good for cardiovascular health, and this effect was recreated in lab research showing that alpha-pinene formulas could lower blood pressure and reduce harmful arterial blood clots.
A pair of Korean studies show that pinene may help you fall asleep quicker and improve sleep quality by spending more time in deep, non-REM sleep.
Note: Neither study indicated that pinene increased overall sleep time.
Pinene’s relaxing qualities may even play a role in cancer therapies. Researchers at Japan’s Shizuoka Cancer Center Research Institute looked at how reducing stress might help with cancer treatments. They found that mice kept in a pinene-fragrant environment showed a 40% reduction in melanoma tumor growth compared to a control group.
The scientists wrote:
These results suggest that the provision of a fragrant environment may be an important factor in the therapeutic approach to cancer.
Pinene Helps You Breathe Easy And Improves Mental Focus
Aromatic pinene is easily and rapidly absorbed by throat and lung tissues and acts as a bronchodilator to relax lung muscles to promote fuller inhalation, while also opening both lower and upper airways for easier breathing. Improved respiratory function directly benefits the brain by increasing oxygen levels, which may improve mental focus, mitigate stress responses and increase energy levels.
The enhanced mental focus provided by this terpene can come into play when choosing a strain of medical marijuana, as high-pinene strains are known to offset some of the memory and cognitive impairments associated with high-THC marijuana.
Another breathing-related benefit is that pinene can act as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce airway swelling and the mucus created by breathing pollen-laden, dirty, or smoky air. Pinene formulas have proven effective in the treatment of asthma and COPD, and pinene-rich cannabis strains can increase the comfort and efficiency of smoked cannabis therapies by opening airways and allowing users to absorb more medication from each inhalation.
Pinene Shows Promise For Cancer Therapies
Traditional Chinese medicine employs essential oils made from crushed pine needles to treat cancers. Ancient Egyptian and Roman healers valued rosemary for similar purposes, and pinene is one of the essential oils that feature prominently in modern alternative and complementary cancer therapies.
Research-based validation of the potential benefits of pinene for cancer treatment is a relatively new field that took off around 2010 and has since grown significantly, with more than two dozen studies a year added to the literature. In a 2018 review research on the anticancer properties of essential oils such as pinene, the authors report:
Essential oils have been shown to possess cancer cell targeting activity, can increase the efficacy of commonly used chemotherapy drugs and also show [immunity boosting] functions when administered to the cancer patient.
One thing to keep in mind when evaluating this information is that most results are based on laboratory studies that may or may not have a direct correlation to the compounds that are bioavailable from smoked or digested medical marijuana. Here are some – but far from all – of pinene’s potential cancer therapies:
- Pinene may slow the progression of prostate cancer.
- Pinene may slow liver cancer 20 tumor growth by up to 70 percent.
- Pinene may enhance cervical cancer treatments by slowing tumor growth and promoting the death of cancer cells.
- Pinene may increase the effectiveness of natural killer cells (i.e., “NK cells” or immune cells that release cancer cell-killing enzymes).
- Pinene and other terpenes may serve as a minimally invasive alternative treatment for malignant melanoma.
- Pinene shows promise for the treatment of breast cancer.
Is Pinene More Indica Or Sativa?
The ever-growing number of hybrid strains on the market blurs the lines between traditional indica and sativa distinctions. For consumers, the question of indica versus sativa is less about botany than effect, with sativa being associated with invigorating and energizing effects and indica providing relaxing and calming sensations.
Pinene is more common in sativa cultivars than in indica strains, but it is found in a broad spectrum of cultivars and is rarely the dominant strain. Another factor that can come into play is the ratio of alpha-pinene to beta-pinene in a given strand. It is generally accepted that alpha-pinene dominant strains provide more energizing and euphoric effects, while beta-pinene dominant strains provide a greater degree of relaxation.
Which Cannabis Strains Are Rich In Pinene?
With more than 700 cannabis strains now on the market, and more developed each year, there are quite a few pinene-rich varieties to choose from. Narrowing the field to find an optimum formula for personal therapies is best accomplished with the help of CannaMD’s accredited Florida medical marijuana doctors and by sourcing products from a licensed medical marijuana treatment center.
To further ensure product integrity, patients can look for products carrying a Certificate of Analysis from a licensed third-party laboratory that tests cannabis products to ensure they meet potency and quality standards.
View a COA Example
Strains with elevated pinene content and a balanced ratio of THC to CBD, such as Cannatonic would likely be a good choice for individuals seeking relaxation and stress relief without the “couch lock” effect. Patients looking to maintain mental acuity while maximizing pain relief should consider strains such as Remedy, Harlequin, Harle-Tsu, and AC/DC.
Elevated pinene content is especially beneficial for patients using high-THC cannabis strains, as this combination allows for maximum therapy benefits without total debilitation. Classic examples of strains that relax while also promoting euphoric and creative effects include Blue Dream, Gelato, AK-47, and Cherry Bomb.
Patients looking for strains with elevated THC content that promote a relaxing effect should consider Grandaddy Purple and Big Smooth, which is one of the most pinene-rich cannabis strains currently on the market.
Do You Have Questions About Medical Marijuana?
CannaMD’s state-certified network of medical marijuana doctors is available to provide advice and assistance with your medical marijuana questions and needs. Contact CannaMD’s experienced team at (855) 420-9170 today. Ready to get your card and purchase legal cannabis products? You can find out if you qualify for medical marijuana treatment with our quick online application!