Camphene, Sabinene and Phellandrene: The Trace Terpenes Explained

Most cannabis talk stops at the big terpenes: myrcene, limonene and caryophyllene. Read further down a full lab report and you reach the small ones, camphene, sabinene and phellandrene, often listed at a fraction of a milligram per gram or simply as a trace.

They smell of fir needles, pepper and mint, they turn up in spices and essential oils, and they get credited with effects that, as far as we could find, no study has tested in people.

Key takeaways

• Camphene, sabinene and phellandrene are minor terpenes that most cannabis carries in far smaller amounts than myrcene or limonene.
• On lab reports, "trace" means a compound was detected but sat below the level the lab could measure precisely.
• A 2011 rat study found that camphene, a terpene with a fir-needle smell, cut total cholesterol by 54.5%.
• Sabinene adds spice to black pepper, while beta-phellandrene smells peppery, minty and slightly citrusy.
• Across testing labs in six US states, camphene was on every lab's panel, while sabinene and phellandrene were not.
• We found no study testing any of the three for effects in people, so the health claims rest on cells and animals.

Minor terpenes and the trace label

Terpenes make up only about 3% to 5% of the dry mass of a cannabis flower, and a handful of them dominate the mix. A 2022 review from Penn State turned to the rest, the minor or secondary terpenes that are less concentrated in cannabis, and the ranges it compiled for THC-dominant flower show how small these three usually are:

For scale, beta-myrcene ran from 0.12 to 14.8 mg/g in the same compilation, more than 100 times the top camphene figure. At 0.005 mg/g, a gram of flower would hold about 5 micrograms of sabinene, which is why trace terpenes in cannabis are so easy to miss.

The review marks the lowest readings "Tr" for trace, below the level of quantitation: the instrument picked up the compound but could not measure it precisely. In our experience, lab reports often print the same thing as "<LOQ", and growers read both it and "ND", not detected, as zero, but ND only means nothing turned up above that lab's detection limit.

Camphene, the fir-needle terpene

Camphene, a terpene with a two-ring structure, is one of the most widespread monoterpenes in nature. It is a minor part of turpentine and of cypress, camphor, ginger and valerian oils, and its aroma is described as woody, herbal, fir needle and camphor-like. Industry makes it from alpha-pinene, the more common pine terpene, and the FDA lists camphene among synthetic flavoring substances that may be safely used in food.

The name causes a mix-up. The 19th-century lamp fuel called camphine in Britain and usually spelled camphene in the US was purified spirits of turpentine, in which the terpene camphene is only a minor part. The more explosive fuel of the day was burning fluid, a blend of alcohol and turpentine, and kerosene largely replaced both in the late 1800s.

In camphene's best-known study, researchers traced the cholesterol-lowering effect of Chios mastic gum oil to camphene and tested it in rats whose blood fats had been raised with a detergent. At 30 micrograms per gram of body weight, it produced a 54.5% reduction of total cholesterol and cut triglycerides by 34.5%, without blocking HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that statins target. We found no human trial, and a cannabis flower holds a tiny fraction of that dose.

Pine and woody notes on a strain page hint at camphene but prove nothing, since alpha-pinene smells of pine too. Acapulco Gold, a line of Mexican origin at about 26% THC, lists pine in both its aroma and its taste, along with woody and coffee notes. Its page names no specific terpenes, so treat any camphene in it as unknown.

Sabinene and the spice in black pepper

Sabinene is a natural two-ring monoterpene found in marjoram, holm oak and Norway spruce, and it contributes to the spiciness of black pepper. It is also a major part of carrot seed oil and turns up in nutmeg, bay laurel and, at low levels, tea tree oil.

In cannabis, sabinene stays in the background. Cannabis cultivars typically contain small concentrations of it, the Penn State review notes, and it is associated with a spicy flavor and aroma. The known benefits of this terpene are limited, the same review adds.

In a 2019 study, rats fasted for two days showed less shrinking of their muscle fibers when given sabinene, and the authors suggested it may ease skeletal muscle atrophy, the wasting of muscle tissue.

Watch the name on a lab report. Sabinene hydrate is a separate compound, and in a 2021 Canadian study it, not sabinene, was among the markers of THC-dominant strains.

The unexamined day is a wasted opportunity. Reflect on what you did, what you learned, and how you can improve.

John Dewey

Phellandrene in eucalyptus and dill

Phellandrene comes in two forms, alpha and beta, which are double-bond isomers: the same atoms, with one double bond in a different place. Alpha-phellandrene was named after Eucalyptus phellandra, a tree now called Eucalyptus radiata, while beta-phellandrene comes from water fennel and Canada balsam oil. Both are used in fragrances, and the odor of beta-phellandrene has been described as peppery-minty and slightly citrusy. Phellandrenes also occur in mint, black pepper, parsley, lavender, pine and dill, a 2022 review notes.

That review, which focused on alpha-phellandrene, lists anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, wound-healing and pain-relieving effects reported in earlier studies. It concludes that extended pre-clinical studies, meaning more lab and animal work, are necessary before alpha-phellandrene can become any kind of treatment.

Concentrated, it is not harmless. On the skin, alpha-phellandrene can cause irritation, and swallowed, it may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the review warns.

Lab panels and strain chemistry

Whether these three show up on a lab report depends on the lab. In what its authors called the largest analysis of commercial cannabis flower to date, 89,923 samples from testing labs in six US states, each lab measured its own set of cannabinoids and terpenes. When the authors kept only the compounds common to every lab, camphene made the list, while sabinene and phellandrene did not.

Strain type shapes the profile too. A 2021 Canadian study assigned 21 cannabis varieties into three chemotypes and found more camphene and sabinene hydrate in the THC-dominant group, while the CBD-dominant group carried more alpha-pinene and beta-myrcene.

Phellandrene travels with terpinolene. In a 2017 study of 233 samples from 30 high-THC cultivars, a California testing lab found alpha-phellandrene and 3-carene characteristic of the terpinolene chemotype, a group that included Jack Herer and Trainwreck. The same author warned that beta-phellandrene overlaps with limonene in the analysis, so a limonene reading can include some beta-phellandrene.

Strains in that group lead with terpinolene, the rarest of the common cannabis terpenes. Our Trainwreck shares a name with the cultivars in that study, though not necessarily their genetics. It is a sativa-dominant hybrid at about 28% THC, believed to come from Mexican and Thai sativas crossed with Afghani indicas, with lemon, pepper and a piney scent in its aroma. Its page names no specific terpenes, so only a lab report can show whether phellandrene is there.

In our experience, four things on a terpene report deserve a second look:

• Which terpenes the lab tested at all
• "Trace", "<LOQ" or "ND" in place of a number
• Limonene in a terpinolene-type strain, which may include beta-phellandrene
• Sabinene and sabinene hydrate, two different compounds

None of this shows what the three do in your body. Lab support for the entourage effect, the idea that terpenes shape a high, is mixed. A 2020 study found no direct action by five common terpenes at the CB1 or CB2 cannabinoid receptors, while a 2021 mouse study found that several terpenes activated CB1. Neither tested camphene, sabinene or phellandrene.

Smelling the small notes at home

Your nose can pick up some of these notes, though it cannot tell you how much of each is there. In our experience, the clearest test is to break a cured bud in half and smell the fresh inside before you grind it:

• Fir needles or camphor can point to camphene, though alpha-pinene smells of pine too.
• A dry, peppery spice can point to sabinene, though beta-caryophyllene smells peppery as well.
• Mint with a citrus lift can point to beta-phellandrene, though limonene brings citrus too.

Light top notes fade first, so in our experience whole buds kept cool, dark and sealed hold them longest. Grinding right before use keeps them in the bud until you need them.

Three trace terpenes in perspective

Camphene, sabinene and phellandrene are real parts of the cannabis aroma, adding fir needle, pepper and minty citrus notes in amounts far below myrcene or limonene. Their best-known studies used rats, cells and essential oils, not people using cannabis. Read "trace" on a lab report as present but not measured, check which terpenes the lab tested and enjoy the small notes for what they are.

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