What terpinolene is
Terpinolene is a monoterpene, in the same family of smaller terpenes as limonene and pinene. In the hemp variety Finola it was among the most abundant monoterpenes (Booth et al., 2017). It is one of the terpenes covered in the complete guide to cannabis terpenes.
Chemical references describe its odour as sweet and pine-like (PubChem), while a cannabis terpene guide describes it as piney, floral, herbaceous and even a little citrusy (Leafly). That mix is why it is harder to pin down than the plain lemon of limonene.
Where terpinolene occurs
Many plants release terpinolene, especially trees. Chemical databases list it in the oils below (PubChem), and Leafly adds lilacs, nutmeg, cumin and apples. It is used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps, as a food flavouring and as a solvent for resins and oils (PubChem).
- Tea tree oils from several Melaleuca species, including Melaleuca alternifolia
- Oil of the pine Pinus sylvestris, and pine gum turpentine
- Citrus oils from orange species, including sweet orange, mandarin, tangerine and bergamot
Terpinolene in cannabis
In a 2022 analysis of 89,923 lab-tested flower samples from 6 US states, THC-dominant cannabis fell into 3 main terpene groups, one defined by high terpinolene and myrcene (Smith et al., PLOS One). Dutch Treat was one of the strain names most tied to it: 85.9% of products sold under that name fell into the terpinolene group.
Samples in that group also had somewhat higher CBG than the others, a median of 0.98% versus 0.65%, which the authors linked to a modest correlation between CBG and terpinolene levels (Smith et al.).
The terpinolene group held about twice as many sativa-labelled products, and half as many indica-labelled ones, as expected (Smith et al.). That may be where terpinolene's uplifting reputation comes from, but the same study found indica and sativa labels do not reliably reflect a product's chemistry.
Terpinolene has also been slower to explain at the genetic level: when researchers identified cannabis terpene-making enzymes in 2017, terpinolene was the exception, with no enzyme yet found for it (Booth et al.). The trichome guide explains where these terpenes are made.
What research does and doesn't show
Terpene charts often label terpinolene energizing or uplifting. Research has not established that: a 2023 review found the evidence that terpenes shape cannabis effects contradictory and inconclusive (Christensen et al., 2023). THC is the compound that causes the high (CAMH). For medical questions about cannabis, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
Safety and storage
Terpinolene is listed as a fragrance allergen under EU cosmetics rules, which matters for people with fragrance allergies (PubChem).
Heating terpenes to the very high temperatures used in some dabbing can produce benzene and methacrolein (American Chemical Society). Terpenes also evaporate easily at room temperature (American Chemical Society), so storage matters; the weed storage guide explains how to keep flower fresh.
Finding terpinolene-rich flower
Smell gives a rough clue, but strain names vary between growers (Smith et al.), so lab results that list terpenes are the reliable check. GasDank delivers same day across Toronto and the GTA, usually within 1 to 2 hours, and ships mail order across Canada. The menu carries lab-tested products; browse all flower. Customers must be 19 or older (21 in Quebec), with ID checked at the door.
