Myrcene

Myrcene at a Glance

beta-Myrcene is an acyclic monoterpene and one of the most abundant terpenes in nature — the dominant volatile of hops, a major terpene of cannabis, lemongrass and juniper, and a common food flavouring.

It is best studied preclinically for sedative and analgesic effects, and it is the compound most often invoked to explain why some cannabis varieties feel more sedating than others.

Myrcene & the Cannabis Sedation Claim

Myrcene is the terpene most often named to explain why one cannabis variety feels sedating and another does not. A widely repeated rule of thumb holds that myrcene-rich flower is “couch-locking”, and that myrcene amplifies THC as part of a terpene “entourage effect”. Three lines of evidence bear on the claim, and none of them is human.

The sedative effect itself is real in rodents. Isolated myrcene at 100–200 mg/kg reduced locomotion, relaxed muscle and prolonged barbiturate sleep in mice ^{8Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}, and it was identified as the sedative-hypnotic fraction of lavender oil in an insomnia model ^{9Reference 9Chen L et al. · 2024AnimalBeta-Myrcene as a Sedative-Hypnotic Component from Lavender Essential Oil in DL-4-Chlorophenylalanine-Induced-Insomnia Mice — mouse in vivoView study →}. But those doses are far above anything smoking or eating cannabis can deliver, and part of the barbiturate effect is slowed drug metabolism rather than hypnosis ^{1,8Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}.

The synergy claim has been tested once in an animal, and failed. In rat adjuvant arthritis myrcene was analgesic on its own, but adding CBD produced no additive or synergistic effect ^{4Reference 4McDougall JJ · 2022AnimalAnti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of the Cannabis Terpene Myrcene in Rat Adjuvant Monoarthritis — rat in vivo animal modelView study →}. No controlled human study has yet compared myrcene-rich and myrcene-poor cannabis of matched THC content, and the terpene content of plants sold under the same “strain” name varies so much that the claim cannot be tested from labels ^{18Reference 18Booth JK · 2019ReviewTerpenes in Cannabis sativa - From plant genome to humans — reviewView study →}. Two registered trials are now putting inhaled β-myrcene with and without THC into volunteers, and are the first that could settle it.

Until they report, the honest summary is this: myrcene is a sedative monoterpene at high rodent doses and a plausible minor modifier of cannabis effects. That it drives “couch-lock”, or potentiates THC in people, is folklore awaiting a result.

What It's Used For

Two things frame myrcene’s evidence, and both are unusually load-bearing. First, almost every “myrcene” result is an essential-oil or whole-plant study, or a high-dose rodent experiment — there is no efficacy trial of the isolated molecule in humans, and a myrcene-rich oil is not the same as myrcene. Second, myrcene is a small, volatile, lipophilic monoterpene: it is absorbed and cleared rapidly, distributes into fat and organs, and its systemic pharmacology is governed by that fast turnover ^{1,12Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 12Papada E et al. · 2020An Absorption and Plasma Kinetics Study of Monoterpenes Present in Mastiha Oil in Humans — human pharmacokinetic studyView study →}.

Its best-defined isolate signals are analgesia (via endogenous-opioid, α2-adrenergic and cannabinoid-receptor mechanisms) ^{2,5Reference 2Rao VS et al. · 1990AnimalEffect of myrcene on nociception in mice — mouse in vivoView study →Reference 5Alayoubi M et al. · 2025AnimalElucidating interplay between myrcene and cannabinoid receptor 1 receptors to produce antinociception in mouse models of neuropathic pain — mouse in vivo animal modelView study →} and anti-inflammatory activity ^{6,7Reference 6Rufino AT et al. · 2015In vitroEvaluation of the anti-inflammatory, anti-catabolic and pro-anabolic effects of E-caryophyllene, myrcene and limonene in a cell model of osteoarthritis — in vitro (human chondrocytes)View study →Reference 7Almarzooqi S et al. · 2022AnimalAlmarzooqi S, Venkataraman B, Raj V, Alkuwaiti SA, Das KM, Collin PD, Adrian TE, Subramanya SB (2022). β-Myrcene Mitigates Colon Inflammation by Inhibiting MAP Kinase and NF-κB Signaling Pathways — mouse DSS colitis + human colon cells. Molecules. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36557879/View study →}; it is a relative of the other volatile monoterpenes α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene.

Evidence by IndicationStrength of support · Beta

01Analgesia / painShaky44%Isolated myrcene; multiple rodent models + opioid/α2/CB1–CB2 mechanisms; no human trial

02Anti-inflammatoryShaky40%Isolated myrcene; human chondrocyte + colon NF-κB/MMP mechanism + rodent colitis/arthritis

03Sedative / muscle relaxantShaky34%Isolated myrcene; high-dose rodent behavior + one insomnia model; human claim unproven

04Gastroprotection / anti-ulcerShaky28%Isolated myrcene; multi-model rat gastric/duodenal study

05Antioxidant / neuroprotectionShaky24%Isolated myrcene; high-dose rodent oxidative-damage models

:::

Mechanisms

Pharmacokinetics

Myrcene’s pharmacokinetics are the hinge of its pharmacology, and they are those of a small, volatile, lipophilic terpene: fast in, fast out. It is absorbed rapidly — in a human oral study of mastic (Mastiha) oil, β-myrcene appeared in plasma within ~30 minutes and was cleared over the following hours ^{12Reference 12Papada E et al. · 2020An Absorption and Plasma Kinetics Study of Monoterpenes Present in Mastiha Oil in Humans — human pharmacokinetic studyView study →} — and distributes preferentially into adipose tissue and into the liver, brain, kidneys and gonads ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}. In rats it is eliminated mainly in urine with a plasma elimination half-life of roughly 285 minutes, after extensive CYP450-mediated oxidation to hydroxylated and diol metabolites (e.g. 10-hydroxylinalool) ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}. A formal absolute oral bioavailability has never been determined in any species; one small human estimate put β-myrcene near ~22% from a low oral dose, but with a very large margin of error ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}. Two practical consequences follow. First, volatility plus rapid first-pass metabolism keep sustained systemic exposure low, so the high concentrations used in vitro and the high milligram-per-kilogram doses used in rodents are not trivially reached in people — the central caveat separating myrcene’s preclinical results from real-world exposure. Second, its CYP inhibition is itself a pharmacodynamic fact: myrcene prolongs barbiturate sleeping time in part by slowing the barbiturate’s own metabolism ^{1,8Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}.

Clinical Trials

There are no completed efficacy trials of isolated myrcene for any endpoint, but the cannabis question has reached the registry. A randomised double-blind study at the University of California, Los Angeles (NCT04451863, 45 volunteers) is testing the analgesic and subjective effects of inhaled terpenes alone and with THC, including a low-myrcene arm, and a Johns Hopkins study (NCT05432284, 32 volunteers) will characterise the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vaporised β-myrcene with and without THC. Neither has reported. The completed human data are pharmacokinetic only — myrcene absorbed as one component of a multi-terpene oil ^{12Reference 12Papada E et al. · 2020An Absorption and Plasma Kinetics Study of Monoterpenes Present in Mastiha Oil in Humans — human pharmacokinetic studyView study →} — plus two small studies of inhaled plant extracts containing under ~25% myrcene, which cannot be attributed to the molecule ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}. Every efficacy result is preclinical.

Last checked: September 2026.

Isolate vs. Plant Studies

The split for myrcene is unusually clean. Every efficacy result belongs to the isolated molecule, and every one of those is preclinical: the antinociception series ^{2,3,4,5Reference 2Rao VS et al. · 1990AnimalEffect of myrcene on nociception in mice — mouse in vivoView study →Reference 3Lorenzetti BB et al. · 1991AnimalMyrcene mimics the peripheral analgesic activity of lemongrass tea — rodent in vivoView study →Reference 4McDougall JJ · 2022AnimalAnti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of the Cannabis Terpene Myrcene in Rat Adjuvant Monoarthritis — rat in vivo animal modelView study →Reference 5Alayoubi M et al. · 2025AnimalElucidating interplay between myrcene and cannabinoid receptor 1 receptors to produce antinociception in mouse models of neuropathic pain — mouse in vivo animal modelView study →}, the chondrocyte and colitis anti-inflammatory work ^{6,7Reference 6Rufino AT et al. · 2015In vitroEvaluation of the anti-inflammatory, anti-catabolic and pro-anabolic effects of E-caryophyllene, myrcene and limonene in a cell model of osteoarthritis — in vitro (human chondrocytes)View study →Reference 7Almarzooqi S et al. · 2022AnimalAlmarzooqi S, Venkataraman B, Raj V, Alkuwaiti SA, Das KM, Collin PD, Adrian TE, Subramanya SB (2022). β-Myrcene Mitigates Colon Inflammation by Inhibiting MAP Kinase and NF-κB Signaling Pathways — mouse DSS colitis + human colon cells. Molecules. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36557879/View study →}, the sedation and insomnia models ^{8,9Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →Reference 9Chen L et al. · 2024AnimalBeta-Myrcene as a Sedative-Hypnotic Component from Lavender Essential Oil in DL-4-Chlorophenylalanine-Induced-Insomnia Mice — mouse in vivoView study →}, gastroprotection ^{10Reference 10Bonamin F et al. · 2014AnimalThe effect of a minor constituent of essential oil from Citrus aurantium: the role of β-myrcene in preventing peptic ulcer disease — rat in vivo animal modelView study →} and cerebral ischaemia ^{11Reference 11Ciftci O et al. · 2014AnimalNeuroprotective effects of β-myrcene following global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion-mediated oxidative and neuronal damage in a C57BL/J6 mouse — mouse in vivo animal modelView study →} all dosed pure β-myrcene in rodents or in cultured cells. The human data run the other way: the only human exposure studied is myrcene as one component of mastic oil, and that study measured plasma kinetics, not an effect ^{12Reference 12Papada E et al. · 2020An Absorption and Plasma Kinetics Study of Monoterpenes Present in Mastiha Oil in Humans — human pharmacokinetic studyView study →}; the two small inhalation studies of plant extracts contained under about 25% myrcene and cannot be attributed to it ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}.

Where a plant reputation leans on myrcene, the molecule usually turns out to carry only part of it. Myrcene reproduces the peripheral analgesia of lemongrass tea ^{3Reference 3Lorenzetti BB et al. · 1991AnimalMyrcene mimics the peripheral analgesic activity of lemongrass tea — rodent in vivoView study →}, and it is the sedative-hypnotic fraction of lavender oil in one insomnia model ^{9Reference 9Chen L et al. · 2024AnimalBeta-Myrcene as a Sedative-Hypnotic Component from Lavender Essential Oil in DL-4-Chlorophenylalanine-Induced-Insomnia Mice — mouse in vivoView study →}. But in Lippia alba the citral- and limonene-led chemotypes were as centrally depressant as the myrcene-led one ^{8Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}, and the sedative reputation of hops belongs principally to the bitter-resin degradation product 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, not to the myrcene that dominates the oil ^{30Reference 30Franco L et al. · 2012AnimalThe sedative effects of hops (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm — animal modelView study →}. The transferability caveat therefore runs both ways: a myrcene-rich oil is not evidence for myrcene, and myrcene’s rodent pharmacology is not evidence for the plant.

Its Role in Plants

Myrcene is made from the universal monoterpene precursor geranyl diphosphate by a myrcene synthase. One of the first to be cloned came from wounded grand-fir stems, where its transcripts rise after injury as the tree builds defensive oleoresin ^{19Reference 19Bohlmann J et al. · 1997In vitroMonoterpene synthases from grand fir (Abies grandis). cDNA isolation, characterization, and functional expression of myrcene synthase, (-)-(4S)-limonene synthase, and (-)-(1S,5S)-pinene synthase — enzyme characterisation, in vitroView study →} — conifer turpentine is in part an induced wound response, and myrcene is one of the olefins that make resin toxic and sticky to boring insects.

Its ecology has a twist. Bark beetles of the genus Ips hydroxylate myrcene to ipsdienol, an aggregation pheromone, and for decades the host tree’s myrcene was assumed to be the precursor. The beetles are now known to make most of their myrcene de novo, through a dual-function geranyl diphosphate synthase/myrcene synthase in the midgut, with a cytochrome P450 performing the hydroxylation ^{20Reference 20Blomquist GJ et al. · 2010ReviewPheromone production in bark beetles — reviewView study →}. A defensive tree volatile and an insect signal are, chemically, the same molecule.

Prevalence in Nature

Myrcene is one of the most widespread monoterpenes in the plant kingdom, reported across Cannabaceae (hops, cannabis), Poaceae (lemongrass), Cupressaceae (juniper), Saururaceae (fish mint), Apiaceae (fennel, angelica), Myricaceae (bog myrtle), Lauraceae (bay), Anacardiaceae (mango), Lamiaceae (thyme, basil) and the conifers ^{1,19Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 19Bohlmann J et al. · 1997In vitroMonoterpene synthases from grand fir (Abies grandis). cDNA isolation, characterization, and functional expression of myrcene synthase, (-)-(4S)-limonene synthase, and (-)-(1S,5S)-pinene synthase — enzyme characterisation, in vitroView study →}. It occurs as a hydrocarbon in essential oils, almost always alongside α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene, and the figures below are percentages of the oil, not of the plant — fish-mint oil is myrcene-rich, but the whole herb yields only about 0.1% oil ^{22Reference 22Verma RS et al. · 2017In vitroChemical Composition and Allelopathic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Fish-mint (Houttuynia cordata Thunb.) from India — GC-MS composition and in vitro studyView study →}.

Hops are the emblematic source: myrcene is the single largest volatile of most hop cultivars and is regarded as the most odour-active compound of hop oil ^{1,21Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 21Piasecki B et al. · 2023In vitroAnti-Coccal Activity and Composition of the Essential Oils and Methanolic Extracts Obtained from Brewing Quality Humulus lupulus LView study →}. In cannabis it is one of the major monoterpenes of the flower resin, although the proportion varies so much between plants that a named “strain” does not predict it ^{18Reference 18Booth JK · 2019ReviewTerpenes in Cannabis sativa - From plant genome to humans — reviewView study →}. Content swings with chemotype, plant part, harvest season and even distillation time: fish-mint aerial oil runs from under 3% to over 40% myrcene between Indian accessions ^{22Reference 22Verma RS et al. · 2017In vitroChemical Composition and Allelopathic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Fish-mint (Houttuynia cordata Thunb.) from India — GC-MS composition and in vitro studyView study →}, and bog-myrtle leaf oil fell from 23% to 12% myrcene between a 30- and a 60-minute distillation ^{25Reference 25Sylvestre M et al. · 2005In vitroChemical composition and anticancer activity of leaf essential oil of Myrica gale L — GC-MS composition and in vitro studyView study →}. The molecule also has an industrial footprint no plant matches: a European production volume of roughly 58 tonnes a year is reported for flavour and fragrance use alone ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}.

Major Natural Sources

Source	Plant part	Reported myrcene content
Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata)	aerial-parts oil	2.6–44.3% (underground stem 14–21%) 22Reference 22Verma RS et al. · 2017In vitroChemical Composition and Allelopathic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Fish-mint (Houttuynia cordata Thunb.) from India — GC-MS composition and in vitro studyView study →
Hops (Humulus lupulus)	cone oil	24–37% across six cultivars 21Reference 21Piasecki B et al. · 2023In vitroAnti-Coccal Activity and Composition of the Essential Oils and Methanolic Extracts Obtained from Brewing Quality Humulus lupulus LView study →
Bog myrtle (Myrica gale)	leaf oil	12–23%, falling with distillation time 25Reference 25Sylvestre M et al. · 2005In vitroChemical composition and anticancer activity of leaf essential oil of Myrica gale L — GC-MS composition and in vitro studyView study →
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)	leaf oil	~7–11% 24Reference 24Ekpenyong CE et al. · 2015ReviewEthnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and biological activities of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf extracts — reviewView study →
Juniper (Juniperus communis)	berry oil	~8% (Bulgarian oil) 23Reference 23Höferl M et al. · 2014In vitroChemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis L.) Essential OilView study →
Mango (Mangifera indica)	fruit volatiles	up to ~59% of flavour volatiles in one cultivar (‘Xiaofei’); minor in most 26Reference 26Li L et al. · 2017Profiling of volatile fragrant components in a mini-core collection of mango germplasms from seven countries — GC-MS composition studyView study →

These are comparative ranges that shift with chemotype, provenance and method, and every one is a share of the volatile fraction rather than a whole-plant figure.

Other Reported Sources

• Cannabis flower — a major monoterpene of the resin, highly variable ^{18Reference 18Booth JK · 2019ReviewTerpenes in Cannabis sativa - From plant genome to humans — reviewView study →}
• Fennel, angelica and other Apiaceae oils
• Wormwood and muira puama
• Bay laurel, thyme and basil
• Conifer needle oils and turpentine — grand fir, western hemlock, pines ^{19Reference 19Bohlmann J et al. · 1997In vitroMonoterpene synthases from grand fir (Abies grandis). cDNA isolation, characterization, and functional expression of myrcene synthase, (-)-(4S)-limonene synthase, and (-)-(1S,5S)-pinene synthase — enzyme characterisation, in vitroView study →}
• Citrus fruit and juice volatiles ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}
• Common reed (Phragmites australis)

Discovery & Synthesis

Myrcene was isolated and named in 1895 by Frederick Power and Carl Kleber, who found it in bay oil, the leaf oil of the West Indian bay tree then classified as Myrcia acris — hence the name. Its structure as an acyclic triene was settled in the following decades, and in 1941 Goldblatt and Palkin showed that passing β-pinene vapour through a hot tube isomerises it to myrcene in high yield ^{27Reference 27Goldblatt LA · 1941Vapor Phase Thermal Isomerization of α- and β-Pinene — synthetic chemistryView study →}, the reaction on which the entire myrcene industry now rests.

Manufacture today is that pyrolysis, run at around 400 °C on β-pinene distilled from crude sulphate turpentine, a by-product of kraft paper mills ^{1,28Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 28Behr A · 2009ReviewMyrcene as a natural base chemical in sustainable chemistry: a critical review — reviewView study →}. Essentially no commercial myrcene is extracted from hops or any other plant. Engineered microbial production has been demonstrated but is not yet a commercial route ^{1Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →}.

Patents: not yet researched.

Commercial Production

Myrcene’s commercial importance is as a raw material, not an end product. Its reactive diene system makes it the renewable starting point for a large share of the fragrance and flavour industry’s acyclic terpenoids: geraniol, nerol, linalool, citronellol and citronellal are all made from it ^{1,28Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 28Behr A · 2009ReviewMyrcene as a natural base chemical in sustainable chemistry: a critical review — reviewView study →}. The best-known example is the Takasago (−)-menthol process, which starts from myrcene (from gum rosin or β-pinene pyrolysis) and reaches menthol in five steps, with a chiral rhodium-catalysed isomerisation to (+)-citronellal as the key stereochemical step ^{29Reference 29Dylong D et al. · 2025From Turpentine to (-)-Menthol: A New Approach — synthetic chemistryView study →}. A monoterpene that is a trace flavouring in beer is thus, by tonnage, one of the most important terpene feedstocks in the world — and the regulatory action against synthetic myrcene as a food additive did not touch these uses.

Toxicity & Safety

Myrcene is eaten routinely — it is a natural constituent of hops, mango, thyme, basil and many herbs, and a long-standing food-flavoring agent with an estimated human intake around 1.2 µg/kg body weight per day — and at those levels food-safety bodies (EFSA, JECFA, FEMA) regard it as low-risk. The load-bearing safety fact, and the reason myrcene cannot be filed as a merely low-toxicity flavour terpene, is the US National Toxicology Program 2-year gavage carcinogenicity bioassay (Technical Report TR-557). The NTP found clear evidence of carcinogenic activity of β-myrcene in male F344/N rats (renal-tubule neoplasms) and in male B6C3F1 mice (hepatocellular adenoma, carcinoma and hepatoblastoma), with equivocal evidence in females of both species, at oral doses of 0.25–1 g/kg five days a week (the top dose killed all the male rats) ^{13Reference 13National Toxicology Program · 2010AnimalNTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of beta-myrcene (CAS NoView study →}. On that basis California’s OEHHA listed β-myrcene as a Proposition 65 carcinogen in 2015, and the FDA removed synthetic β-myrcene from its approved food-additive list in 2018 under the Delaney Clause — a legal trigger that bars any additive shown to induce cancer in animals, even though the agency stated it saw no genuine safety concern at flavoring intake.

Three points keep this in honest proportion. The bioassay doses are five to six orders of magnitude above dietary exposure; myrcene is non-genotoxic (negative Ames, negative in mammalian cells, in places even anti-mutagenic), so the tumors arise through high-dose, threshold-type mechanisms rather than direct DNA damage ^{1,13Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 13National Toxicology Program · 2010AnimalNTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of beta-myrcene (CAS NoView study →}; and part of the male-rat kidney signal fits α2u-globulin nephropathy, a male-rat-specific process with no human counterpart. That last defense is incomplete, however: an NTP pathology re-analysis found an additional unusual dose-related nephrosis and concluded that α2u-globulin cannot be the sole mechanism of the renal carcinogenesis, and the mouse-liver tumors are a separate finding ^{14Reference 14Cesta MF et al. · 2013AnimalComplex histopathologic response in rat kidney to oral β-myrcene: an unusual dose-related nephrosis and low-dose alpha2u-globulin nephropathy — rat pathology analysisView study →}. The net read: at culinary and inhaled levels the risk is low, but concentrated myrcene is not a compound to consume in bulk, and the isolate is not “just a harmless terpene.”

Myrcene also has a reproductive- and developmental-toxicity literature, all in rats and all at high doses. Given orally on gestation days 6–15, β-myrcene caused maternal toxicity and embryo-foetotoxicity — skeletal retardation and anomalies — at 1.2 g/kg, with a NOAEL of 0.5 g/kg ^{15Reference 15Delgado IF et al. · 1993AnimalStudy on embryo-foetotoxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal modelView study →}; in peri-/postnatal dosing it lowered birth weight, raised perinatal mortality and delayed developmental landmarks from 0.5 g/kg (NOAEL 0.25 g/kg) ^{16Reference 16Delgado IF et al. · 1993AnimalPeri- and postnatal developmental toxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal modelView study →}; and a fertility study found increased resorptions and fetal skeletal anomalies at 0.5 g/kg (NOAEL 0.3 g/kg), with impaired fertility in female offspring at the highest doses ^{17Reference 17Paumgartten FJ et al. · 1998AnimalStudy of the effects of beta-myrcene on rat fertility and general reproductive performance — rat in vivo animal modelView study →}. These doses are far above any human exposure, but the signal is consistent and worth stating. For interactions, the clearest mechanistic flag is myrcene’s CYP450 inhibition and additive CNS depression: it potentiates barbiturate/pentobarbital sleep in rodents ^{1,8Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}, so additive sedation or slowed metabolism with barbiturates, benzodiazepines, alcohol or other CNS depressants is theoretically plausible — none documented in humans. Myrcene is also a recognized skin sensitizer/irritant that autoxidizes on exposure to air and light to more allergenic products, so concentrated myrcene-rich oils should be stored cool and dark and diluted for topical use. No human interaction or contraindication dataset exists for the isolated molecule.

Safety at a Glance

⚠️ Moderate toxicity

• A clear-evidence NTP carcinogen in two species. Two-year gavage at 0.25–1 g/kg produced kidney tumours in male rats and liver tumours in male mice; Proposition 65 listing and an FDA food-additive delisting followed ^{13,14Reference 13National Toxicology Program · 2010AnimalNTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of beta-myrcene (CAS NoView study →Reference 14Cesta MF et al. · 2013AnimalComplex histopathologic response in rat kidney to oral β-myrcene: an unusual dose-related nephrosis and low-dose alpha2u-globulin nephropathy — rat pathology analysisView study →}.
• Dietary exposure is millions of times lower. Flavouring intake is around 1.2 µg/kg/day, the molecule is non-genotoxic, and EFSA, JECFA and FEMA regard it as safe at those levels ^{1,13Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 13National Toxicology Program · 2010AnimalNTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of beta-myrcene (CAS NoView study →}.
• Reproductive and developmental toxicity in rats at high doses — embryo-foetotoxicity, perinatal mortality and reduced fertility from about 0.5 g/kg, with no human counterpart studied ^{15,16,17Reference 15Delgado IF et al. · 1993AnimalStudy on embryo-foetotoxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal modelView study →Reference 16Delgado IF et al. · 1993AnimalPeri- and postnatal developmental toxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal modelView study →Reference 17Paumgartten FJ et al. · 1998AnimalStudy of the effects of beta-myrcene on rat fertility and general reproductive performance — rat in vivo animal modelView study →}.
• Additive CNS depression and slowed drug metabolism, in principle. Myrcene inhibits CYP450 and potentiates barbiturate sleep in rodents; nothing documented in humans ^{1,8Reference 1Surendran S et al. · 2021ReviewMyrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — reviewView study →Reference 8Gurgel do Vale T et al. · 2002AnimalCentral effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivoView study →}.
• Oxidised myrcene sensitises skin. Store myrcene-rich oils cool and dark and dilute them for topical use.

Dosage

There is no established human dose for isolated myrcene, and nothing here is a recommendation. Preclinical work spans a very wide range:

Because oral bioavailability is undetermined and metabolism is rapid and the molecule volatile, none of these figures translates to a human dose; the dietary figure sits millions of times below the rodent efficacy doses. These are doses studied in research and are not a personal recommendation.

References

1. Surendran S, Qassadi F, Surendran G, Lilley D, Heinrich M (2021). Myrcene — What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent? — review. Frontiers in Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34350208/
2. Rao VS, Menezes AM, Viana GS (1990). Effect of myrcene on nociception in mice — mouse in vivo. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1983154/
3. Lorenzetti BB, Souza GE, Sarti SJ, Santos Filho D, Ferreira SH (1991). Myrcene mimics the peripheral analgesic activity of lemongrass tea — rodent in vivo. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1753786/
4. McDougall JJ, McKenna MK (2022). Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of the Cannabis Terpene Myrcene in Rat Adjuvant Monoarthritis — rat in vivo animal model. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35887239/
5. Alayoubi M, Rodrigues A, Wu C, Whitehouse E, Nguyen J, Cooper ZD, O’Neill PR, Cahill CM (2025). Elucidating interplay between myrcene and cannabinoid receptor 1 receptors to produce antinociception in mouse models of neuropathic pain — mouse in vivo animal model. Pain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40839768/
6. Rufino AT, Ribeiro M, Sousa C, Judas F, Salgueiro L, Cavaleiro C, Mendes AF (2015). Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory, anti-catabolic and pro-anabolic effects of E-caryophyllene, myrcene and limonene in a cell model of osteoarthritis — in vitro (human chondrocytes). European Journal of Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25622554/
7. Almarzooqi S, Venkataraman B, Raj V, Alkuwaiti SA, Das KM, Collin PD, Adrian TE, Subramanya SB (2022). β-Myrcene Mitigates Colon Inflammation by Inhibiting MAP Kinase and NF-κB Signaling Pathways — mouse DSS colitis + human colon cells. Molecules. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36557879/
8. Gurgel do Vale T, Couto Furtado E, Santos JG Jr, Viana GS (2002). Central effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba — mouse in vivo. Phytomedicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12587690/
9. Chen L, Liu Y, Xu D, Zhang N, Chen Y, Yang J, Sun L (2024). Beta-Myrcene as a Sedative-Hypnotic Component from Lavender Essential Oil in DL-4-Chlorophenylalanine-Induced-Insomnia Mice — mouse in vivo. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39338324/
10. Bonamin F, Moraes TM, Dos Santos RC, Kushima H, Faria FM, Silva MA, Junior IV, Nogueira L, Bauab TM, Souza Brito AR, da Rocha LR, Hiruma-Lima CA (2014). The effect of a minor constituent of essential oil from Citrus aurantium: the role of β-myrcene in preventing peptic ulcer disease — rat in vivo animal model. Chemico-Biological Interactions. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24480520/
11. Ciftci O, Oztanir MN, Cetin A (2014). Neuroprotective effects of β-myrcene following global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion-mediated oxidative and neuronal damage in a C57BL/J6 mouse — mouse in vivo animal model. Neurochemical Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24972849/
12. Papada E, Gioxari A, Amerikanou C, Galanis N, Kaliora AC (2020). An Absorption and Plasma Kinetics Study of Monoterpenes Present in Mastiha Oil in Humans — human pharmacokinetic study. Foods. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32751415/
13. National Toxicology Program (2010). NTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of beta-myrcene (CAS No. 123-35-3) in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (gavage studies) — TR-557, 2-year rodent carcinogenicity bioassay. NTP Technical Report Series. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21415873/
14. Cesta MF, Hard GC, Boyce JT, Ryan MJ, Chan PC, Sills RC (2013). Complex histopathologic response in rat kidney to oral β-myrcene: an unusual dose-related nephrosis and low-dose alpha2u-globulin nephropathy — rat pathology analysis. Toxicologic Pathology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23531794/
15. Delgado IF, Carvalho RR, Nogueira AC, Mattos AP, Figueiredo LH, Oliveira SH, Chahoud I, Paumgartten FJ (1993). Study on embryo-foetotoxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal model. Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8444385/
16. Delgado IF, Nogueira AC, Souza CA, Costa AM, Figueiredo LH, Mattos AP, Chahoud I, Paumgartten FJ (1993). Peri- and postnatal developmental toxicity of beta-myrcene in the rat — rat in vivo animal model. Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8406238/
17. Paumgartten FJ, De-Carvalho RR, Souza CA, Madi K, Chahoud I (1998). Study of the effects of beta-myrcene on rat fertility and general reproductive performance — rat in vivo animal model. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9698761/
18. Booth JK, Bohlmann J (2019). Terpenes in Cannabis sativa - From plant genome to humans — review. Plant Sci. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31084880/
19. Bohlmann J, Steele CL, Croteau R (1997). Monoterpene synthases from grand fir (Abies grandis). cDNA isolation, characterization, and functional expression of myrcene synthase, (-)-(4S)-limonene synthase, and (-)-(1S,5S)-pinene synthase — enzyme characterisation, in vitro. J Biol Chem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9268308/
20. Blomquist GJ, Figueroa-Teran R, Aw M, et al. (2010). Pheromone production in bark beetles — review. Insect Biochem Mol Biol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20727970/
21. Piasecki B, Biernasiuk A, Ludwiczuk A, et al. (2023). Anti-Coccal Activity and Composition of the Essential Oils and Methanolic Extracts Obtained from Brewing Quality Humulus lupulus L. Hop Pellets — GC-MS composition and in vitro antimicrobial study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37631012/
22. Verma RS, Joshi N, Padalia RC, et al. (2017). Chemical Composition and Allelopathic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Fish-mint (Houttuynia cordata Thunb.) from India — GC-MS composition and in vitro study. Chem Biodivers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28636756/
23. Höferl M, Stoilova I, Schmidt E, et al. (2014). Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis L.) Essential Oil. Action of the Essential Oil on the Antioxidant Protection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Model Organism — GC-MS composition and in vitro study. Antioxidants (Basel). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26784665/
24. Ekpenyong CE, Akpan E, Nyoh A (2015). Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and biological activities of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf extracts — review. Chin J Nat Med. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25986281/
25. Sylvestre M, Legault J, Dufour D, et al. (2005). Chemical composition and anticancer activity of leaf essential oil of Myrica gale L — GC-MS composition and in vitro study. Phytomedicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15898708/
26. Li L, Ma XW, Zhan RL, et al. (2017). Profiling of volatile fragrant components in a mini-core collection of mango germplasms from seven countries — GC-MS composition study. PLoS One. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29211747/
27. Goldblatt LA, Palkin S (1941). Vapor Phase Thermal Isomerization of α- and β-Pinene — synthetic chemistry. Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01857a075
28. Behr A, Johnen L (2009). Myrcene as a natural base chemical in sustainable chemistry: a critical review — review. ChemSusChem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20013989/
29. Dylong D, Panten J, Rußbüldt B, et al. (2025). From Turpentine to (-)-Menthol: A New Approach — synthetic chemistry. ChemSusChem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40552362/
30. Franco L, Sánchez C, Bravo R, et al. (2012). The sedative effects of hops (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm — animal model. Acta Physiol Hung. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22849837/

View all 30 references▾