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Myrcene

Also known as: β-myrcene, beta-myrcene

Updated How we edit these guides
Myrcene appears in Full Spectrum, THC Free Broad Spectrum, Arnica Infused Organic CBD Salve Stick.

What it is

Myrcene is a monoterpene, one of the small, light aromatic molecules plants make. It smells earthy, a little musky, a little fruity. You'll find it in mangoes, hops, thyme, bay leaves and lemongrass, and in many hemp and cannabis cultivars, where it is often the most abundant terpene on the lab report. The FDA lists it as a flavoring that's generally recognized as safe, and it has very low acute toxicity in animal tests, so you've almost certainly eaten it this month.

Now the part everyone asks about: couch-lock. The folklore says a high-myrcene plant makes you heavy and sleepy. The honest status is that it is unproven. The best-known lab result is a 2002 mouse study in Phytomedicine where very high doses of myrcene made mice sleep longer after a sedative. That is an animal study at doses far above anything in a bottle of hemp oil. Strain-data analyses haven't even cleanly tied high myrcene to "indica" type effects. We don't know what the trace amount in a CBD oil does on its own, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.

What we can say is what's in the bottle. botanCBD doesn't add myrcene to anything. Whatever is there came from the hemp, so the amount varies by harvest and by batch, and the lightest terpenes like myrcene are also the ones that can thin out in processing. If you want to know about your batch, the lab report is where to look, and it only lists terpenes if the lab tested for them. It's part of the whole-plant profile people mean when they talk about the entourage effect, which is itself still an open research question.

Where it's in our line

FAQ

Does myrcene get you high?

No. Myrcene is a terpene, an aroma molecule, not THC. It's in mangoes and hops. If you want to avoid THC, the thing to check is whether the product is full spectrum or THC-free broad spectrum, not its terpenes.

Does myrcene cause couch-lock?

Nobody has shown that it does in people. The idea comes from cannabis folklore and a mouse study at very high doses. Human evidence is missing, so we call the claim unproven. We won't sell you a sleepy-time story.

Can myrcene make me fail a drug test?

No. Drug screens look for THC metabolites, and myrcene isn't THC or anything that turns into it. The risk with CBD is the THC in a full-spectrum oil, which is what our THC-free broad-spectrum bottle is for.

Why does my CBD oil smell earthy?

That's the plant. Hemp extract carries terpenes like myrcene, and they smell earthy, herbal and a little musky. Our Natural flavor keeps that smell. Fresh Mint and Peruvian Lime are flavored with real essential oil. A strong earthy smell isn't a defect, and the smell varies by batch.

How much myrcene is in your oils?

It varies by harvest, so we won't give one number. Ask us for the batch COA at /coas and we'll tell you whether that report covers terpenes at all.

Other ingredients

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. botanCBD products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new wellness product, especially if you take prescription medications.