The Sunlight Experiment

Compound Monograph

Linalool

Linalool — a floral, lavender-scented monoterpene alcohol found in the essential oils of many aromatic plants and best known for its soft, sweet fragrance and reported calming and antibacterial qualities.

Work in progress

Classification

Linalool is a monoterpene (tertiary) 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? (16)

Linalool is a naturally occurring monoterpene (tertiary) alcohol, found in Pine, Chickweed, Fish Mint and 13 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).

Bergamot Cannabis Cannabis sativa/indica Ceylon Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum Chickweed Stellaria media Coriander Fish Mint Houttuynia cordata Holy Basil Ocimum tenuiflorum Jasmine Jasminum officinale Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus Muira Puama Ptychopetalum olacoides Pine Pinus spp. Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Rosewood Aniba rosaeodora Sweet basil Thyme Thymus vulgaris

Research & Evidence

Linalool is a fragrant monoterpene alcohol that contributes a soft, floral, slightly citrus aroma to the essential oils of many plants. Among the herbs in this database it appears chiefly as a volatile-oil constituent:

  • In pine (Pinus spp.) it is reported as one of the dominant volatile oils, making up roughly a quarter of the essential-oil fraction (around 24.5%), alongside α-terpineol and limonene.
  • In chickweed (Stellaria medica) linalool is grouped with caryophyllene and menthol as one of the plant’s antibacterial constituents.
  • It is also listed among the essential-oil components of fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides), cannabis (Cannabis sativa/indica), and rosewood (Aniba roseodora), the last of which is a classic commercial source of linalool.

The material on linalool in these monographs is limited and largely descriptive of its presence and aroma rather than of specific tested activities, so this is kept deliberately short and honest. The section will grow as more compound-specific, properly cited research is added.

Toxicity & Safety

Linalool is widely present in foods and fragrances and is generally well tolerated. As with other volatile-oil terpenes, the main caution is dose-dependent and relates to concentrated essential oils rather than whole herbs: oxidised linalool (from old or poorly stored oil) can act as a skin sensitiser, so freshly stored, properly diluted preparations are preferred for topical use. At the levels found in whole herbs it carries a low risk profile.

References

No formal citations specific to linalool were available from the source-herb pages in this database; the herbs that discuss linalool (notably pine and chickweed) describe it without an accompanying reference list. Citations will be added here as compound-specific sources are incorporated.