The Sunlight Experiment

Compound Monograph

Borneol

Borneol — a camphor-like bicyclic monoterpene alcohol found in the essential oils of turmeric, yarrow and feverfew, with a cooling, woody-medicinal aroma and a long history of use in traditional medicine.

Work in progress

Classification

Borneol is a bicyclic monoterpene alcohol, part of the terpenoids class. The largest class of plant compounds, built from five-carbon isoprene units — the essential-oil aromatics, resins, bitter principles, saponins, and plant sterols.

Terpenoids Monoterpenes

Where Does It Come From? (12)

Borneol is a naturally occurring bicyclic monoterpene alcohol, found in Turmeric, Yarrow, Feverfew and 9 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).

Camphor laurel Cannabis Cannabis sativa/indica Chickweed Stellaria media Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium Muira Puama Ptychopetalum olacoides Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Sage Turmeric Curcuma longa Valerian Wormwood Artemisia absinthium Yarrow Achillea millefolium

Research & Evidence

Borneol is a bicyclic monoterpene alcohol closely related to camphor, with a cool, woody, slightly medicinal aroma. In this database it appears as a minor-to-moderate component of several aromatic essential oils:

  • Turmeric (Curcuma longa) — borneol is reported as a constituent of turmeric’s essential oil, present at around 0.5% alongside the turmerones, zingiberone and 1,8-cineole 1Reference 1Battaglia · 2003The complete guide to aromatherapy (2nd ed.), and is again listed among the essential-oil components (with the sesquiterpene ketones, zingiberene, phellandrene, sabinene and cineole) in the broader monograph 2Reference 2Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy.
  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — borneol is quantified at roughly 2.55% of yarrow’s volatile oil, accompanied by bornyl (“borneol”) acetate at about 2.1% 3Reference 3Battaglia · 2003The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (2nd ed.).
  • Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) — borneol is named among the many volatile-oil constituents of feverfew, together with terpinen-4-ol, carvacrol, eugenol and caryophyllene oxide 4Reference 4Akpulat H et al. · 2005Composition of the essential oils of Tanacetum argyrophyllum (C.
  • It is additionally listed as a plant chemical of muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides) and among the volatile oils of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), and appears in the constituent lists of cannabis, chickweed and rosemary.

The source monographs describe borneol chiefly as a characterising essential-oil component rather than attributing specific tested activities to it in isolation, so this summary stays close to what those pages report. The references below are the source-herb citations that genuinely pertain to borneol.

Toxicity & Safety

Borneol is a long-used aromatic compound that, at the small proportions found in whole herbs and their essential oils, is generally well tolerated. As with related monoterpenes such as camphor, the relevant caution is dose-dependent and applies to concentrated essential oils rather than whole herbs: large internal doses of camphor-type terpenes can be irritating or neuroactive, so concentrated oils should be diluted for topical use and not taken internally except under qualified guidance. At herb-level concentrations it carries a low risk profile.

References

  1. Battaglia, S. (2003). The complete guide to aromatherapy (2nd ed.). Brisbane, Australia: International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy.
  2. Bone K, Mills S. (2013). Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Elsevier health. China. (Pg. 900-922).
  3. Battaglia, S. (2003). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (2nd ed.). Brisbane, Australia: The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy. (Pg 276-277).
  4. Akpulat H, Tepe B, Sokmen A, Daferera D, Polissiou M. (2005). Composition of the essential oils of Tanacetum argyrophyllum (C. Koch) Tvzel. var. argyrophyllum and Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip. (Asteraceae) from Turkey. Biochem Syst Ecol. 33:511–6.