Caryophyllene in Polish pharmacies: 30 varieties, two studies, and not a single human

What is caryophyllene and where does it occur outside of hemp?

Caryophyllene is a sesquiterpene with the formula C15H24 and a molecular weight of 204.35, meaning it is a molecule with fifteen carbon atoms, half larger than limonene or pinene. Outside of hemp, it has been recorded in many essential oils, primarily clove oil, and chemical registries list it as a flavoring substance for food.

The systematic name starts with the bicyclo[7.2.0] fragment, which means that the molecule contains two fused rings: a nine-membered ring and a small four-membered ring. Such a small ring is rare among plant terpenes and distinguishes this compound from humulene, which has the same molecular formula but a differently folded carbon skeleton. Chemical registries consider the trans form, recorded as (E)-caryophyllene, to be the most common, and it is this form that appears in a 2008 study.

Of the eleven terpene names recognized in this cluster, caryophyllene is the most widely spread: databases describing the profile list it in the composition of 73 out of 85 cultivars, and the pharmacy list places it first among 30. The second sesquiterpene with the same formula, humulene, has its own page in this cluster. and often appears in profiles alongside caryophyllene. The sensory description that follows this molecule in food additive registries speaks of a spicy and woody note.

How long does it take for caryophyllene to reach the body and how long does it stay there?

It is unknown, as no one has measured this for caryophyllene administered from dried flower. The intervals that can be honestly provided describe the route of administration and the behavior of the entire raw material, not a single molecule. The following paragraph therefore pertains to inhalation and swallowing as such, and the numbers within it are common for all varieties in this comparison.

The route of administration determines the course more than the variety itself. After vaporization, the substance passes from the lungs to the blood almost immediately, so the first sensations appear after a few minutes, the intensity increases for another ten to thirty minutes, and the whole effect lasts for two to four hours. After ingestion, the raw material first passes through the intestine and liver, so the first sensations are awaited from half an hour to two hours, and the episode can last six, sometimes eight hours. Hence the most common mistake with oral administration: anyone who thinks nothing is happening after thirty minutes and takes another dose will receive both doses at once. The above ranges describe the route of administration, not this variety; pharmacokinetic studies for a single cultivar have not been published.

For this molecule, the evidence base of the cluster has not a single measurement of concentration in the blood. Both studies that created it administered the compound to mice either orally or systemically, meaning a measured dose of pure substance, not vapor from heated dried flower. How much remains after heating is also unknown: none of our sources provide recovery from heated raw material. The boiling temperature, which is sometimes substituted in this place as an answer, is dedicated to a separate section.

Why is the boiling temperature of caryophyllene not the setting for the vaporizer?

Because it is measured on the pure compound in a flask, at a specific pressure, and not on ground dried flower in the device's chamber. Our data provide for this terpene 257.5 degrees Celsius under atmospheric pressure and separately 130 degrees at a reduced pressure of 14 mm Hg. None of these numbers is a setting.

Records come from three databases: CAMEO Chemicals, Human Metabolome Database, and the FAO and WHO committee list on food additives. The difference between them is greater than it appears. One hundred thirty degrees is a measurement taken under pressure more than fifty times lower than atmospheric, in conditions where every liquid evaporates earlier. This very number circulates online as the boiling temperature of caryophyllene because it appears in the source record together with the unit and looks like a ready answer.

We do not provide the device setting here at all, and this is not an oversight. Heating dried flower is not the distillation of a pure compound: vapor is produced from a mixture, earlier than from a single substance, and how much of what reaches the inhalation depends on the design of the device and how long the raw material was heated. Our data do not include a measurement of recovery of this terpene from heated raw material, so any range of degrees provided here would be invented. The method of using a prescription medication is determined by a doctor or pharmacist, not an informational page.

What have studies shown about the effects of caryophyllene?

Two studies, both on mice. The first described binding to the CB2 receptor and inhibition of paw swelling, the second reduction of the inflammatory phase of pain and symptoms of neuropathic pain. The entire evidence base of this cluster consists of 22 studies for eleven terpenes and does not include a single one involving humans.

The 2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by the team of Gertsch J, Leonti M, Raduner S, Racz I, Chen JZ, Xie XQ, Altmann KH, Karsak M, Zimmer A demonstrated that (E)-caryophyllene selectively bound to the CB2 receptor (Ki = 155 nM) and inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema in wild-type mice, but not in CB2 receptor knockout mice (Cnr2-/-), indicating a CB2-dependent mechanism; the study did not include any anxiety tests.

Six years later, the same thread was taken up by a study published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, in which the team of Klauke AL, Racz I, Pradier B, Markert A, Zimmer AM, Gertsch J, Zimmer A showed that oral caryophyllene reduced the late inflammatory phase of pain in the formalin test in a CB2 receptor-dependent manner, with no effect on the early phase; in a neuropathic pain model, it alleviated thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia without developing tolerance with chronic administration.

Two things are only visible when comparing both rows of the table. The names Gertsch and Zimmer appear under both studies, so these are not results from independent teams, but two steps of the same research line. The mention of human cells in the description of the 2008 model refers to the test tube in which binding was measured, not to patients. The rest of the evidence base looks similar: out of 22 entries, two do not even concern a mammal, as they describe a plant and an insect.

What has not been demonstrated about caryophyllene?

What has not been shown is the most important aspect: translation to humans. Neither of the two studies tested caryophyllene on humans or in inhaled form from dried flower; both studies concern oral or systemic administration in mice in pain and inflammation models, not sleep or mood.

Each of these limitations can be broken down into parts. Mice received a measured dose of the pure compound either in the stomach or in the peritoneal cavity, so the experiment knows exactly how much substance entered the body. With dried flower, no one knows this: the contribution to the profile cannot be read as a number because the sources do not provide a denominator, and part of the compound escapes or decomposes during heating.

Binding to the CB2 receptor was measured in a test tube, on cells, and this is a measurement of the molecule's affinity for the protein, not an observation of a patient. Between one and the other lies the dose, absorption, metabolism in the liver, and whether this receptor is even involved in the given ailment in humans. None of these steps for caryophyllene have been published.

It is also necessary to separate what the studies did not address from what is attributed to them. They did not study sleep, mood, or anxiety, and yet the compound is often described online as a calming ingredient. They also did not study vaporization, so they say nothing about how much substance reaches the lungs from heated dried flower. They did not compare strains: none checked whether the strain with caryophyllene leading acts differently than the strain with myrcene.

The order of terpenes in the pharmacy list is also not a result of research. It is an arrangement of source records, so the statement about the strain with leading caryophyllene refers to the document, not to the effect on the patient.

What side effects have been reported after caryophyllene?

Separately for caryophyllene, none. Reports concern the medicinal product with a batch number, not a single ingredient, so symptoms attributed to this molecule cannot be extracted from them. Below is what is known about dried flower as a group of raw materials, and further the only record concerning the substance itself.

Reports of adverse effects are collected for medicinal products with a batch number, not for the strain name, so the following pertains to hemp dried flower as a group of raw materials. The most frequently reported symptoms are dry mouth, red eyes, and increased heart rate. Dizziness upon rapid standing, daytime drowsiness, and temporary worsening of short-term memory are less frequently described, as well as anxiety that increases with dosage. A separate issue is medications taken concurrently, especially sedatives and those affecting coagulation: their assessment requires knowledge of the entire list of preparations, not just the description of the plant. We do not provide the frequency of these symptoms numerically, as public compilations for hemp dried flower in Poland do not separate them by individual products.

For pure caryophyllene, there is a separate record, but it belongs to chemical law, not pharmaceutical law. The European register of chemical substances includes a warning about possible skin allergic reactions and hazards when swallowed and entering the respiratory tract. This concerns oil in industrial packaging, at a concentration not present in dried flower, so it is not a description of the strain's action. We provide it because it is the only warning attributed to this molecule by name.

There is no data on the irritating effect of caryophyllene inhaled from dried flower in our sources. Transferring numbers from industrial exposure here would be guesswork, so you will not find any such number on this page.

Which strains from Polish pharmacies have caryophyllene as the leading terpene?

Thirty out of eighty-five in this listing, which is more than with any other terpene: myrcene leads in twenty, limonene in sixteen, terpinolene in seven, nerolidol and pinene six times each. These thirty strains account for 48 out of 141 entries in the list, led by twelve out of sixteen producers present in this cluster.

Leading means here: this is derived from the record at the pharmacy position from which this compilation is built. It is not a measurement made on a specific package nor a declaration from the manufacturer in the leaflet. The same trade name can be held by several manufacturers at once, and then each of them has its own position in the list, hence the third column: four positions for Beach Crasher, Gorilla Glue, Master Kush, and Purps, and one for most of the other names.

The composition of this list changes over time, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. The permit for market circulation expires, the manufacturer withdraws a position or adds a new one, and the pharmacy orders what is currently available wholesale. We keep the current state in one place, in the list of strains available in Polish pharmacies, and it is this that speaks to today, not this page. The distribution of manufacturers in the table is uneven: S-LAB is associated with twenty out of thirty names, Synoptis Pharma with six, Tilray with four, and the remaining nine entities with three or fewer.

In how many strains does caryophyllene occur, and how does this differ from the list of leading ones?

It is present in 73 out of 85 strains, which is over two-thirds of the compilation, while the leading one is associated with 30. These are two different lists: the first comes from databases describing the terpene profile, the second from pharmacy records. Merging them into one number would inflate what is truly known about the composition.

The difference is not merely formal. Among the 73 strains containing this compound, only 3 have a consistent description in both profile databases, 21 have conflicting descriptions, and 49 are known from only one source. For seven positions, including Krypton and Masterpiece, caryophyllene appears in only one of the two services, although both describe this strain.

We also need to look at the other side of this comparison. For 27 out of 30 positions in the list, the profile databases confirm this terpene's first place or share it with another, as with Master Kush. For Lemon Haze Gelato, the database record ranks humulene higher, and for Girl Scout Cookies and Pave S1, it ends in a tie with neither compound coming out on top.

We do not provide participation in the profile as a number, and this results from the calculation, not from caution. This is evident from the database that publishes such numbers: in 131 of its entries where caryophyllene occurs at all, the sum of all listed shares ranges from 14 to 125, with a median of 82. The total, that is, the hundred, is exactly hit by nine entries, and six exceed it. The record entry lists five names with the same value and sums to 125, which is not possible with shares in total.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does caryophyllene have analgesic effects in humans?

This has not been demonstrated. Both studies in the evidence base of this cluster describe mice that were given the pure compound orally or systemically. The result obtained in rodents does not transfer to humans without a study involving them, and such a study for caryophyllene is not available here.

Does caryophyllene bind to the CB2 receptor?

In vitro, yes. A study from 2008 reported an affinity Ki = 155 nM and showed that in mice lacking this receptor, the anti-inflammatory effect disappears. The binding measurement was performed on cells, not on patients, so this is a description of the mechanism, not a therapeutic effect.

At what temperature does caryophyllene boil?

Our data indicate 257.5 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure. The circulating number of 130 degrees comes from a measurement under reduced pressure of 14 mm Hg and is not comparable to either room conditions or the temperature shown by the device.

What vaporizer setting should be used for caryophyllene?

We do not provide settings. The boiling point of a pure substance is not a device setting, and our data does not include a measurement of the recovery of caryophyllene from heated dried flower. The method of using a prescription medication is determined by a doctor or pharmacist.

How many strains from Polish pharmacies have caryophyllene as the leading component?

Thirty out of eighty-five in this comparison. In the composition itself, according to profile databases, it is present in 73 strains, but presence in the composition is not the same as being in the top position in the pharmacy record.

Why don't you provide the caryophyllene content in the profile?

Because the sources do not provide a denominator. In one of the databases, the sum of all shares listed for an entry can be 14 or 125, and the total corresponds to nine entries out of 131. A number without a common basis appears to be a measurement, but it is not.

Does caryophyllene help with sleep?

It is unknown. Neither of the two studies addressed sleep or mood, so there is no basis for such a statement. Descriptions attributing sedative effects to terpenes do not come from studies collected in this database.

This site does not sell pharmacy strains: they are dispensed by pharmacies on prescription. A separate assortment is dried hemp in a store that has no common entries with the pharmacy list.

The material is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Dried flower is a pharmaceutical raw material dispensed by prescription in the Rpw category, and its advertising directed to the public is prohibited.

Editorial text: redakcja ubucha.pl.