Terpene Spotlight: Limonene

Posted on by Rev Baker
CBD Oil next to a Lemon. Text reads: "Terpene Spotlight: Limonene"

You may have come across the term “terpenes” while shopping for hemp CBD products and wondered, “What’s that?” Hemp plants produce hundreds of active compounds. Research into said compounds beyond just CBD and THC is ramping up. Terpenes not only play a major role in how hemp smells but they’re also believed to change how you feel when using different hemp cultivars. Limonene (“lie-muh-neen“) is a commonly found terpene in hemp and cannabis. You may already be familiar with limonene but didn’t know its name. All citrus fruits contain limonene as it’s a major component of citrus’s aromatic profile.

In this post we’ll discuss:

  • What limonene is 
  • Where you can find limonene in nature 
  • And, what research says about its potential benefits

What Are Terpenes?

We’ll get to limonene in a moment, but before we do let’s look at terpenes as a whole. Found in many plants and some animals, terpenes are aromatic volatile hydrocarbons composed of individual isoprene molecules. Terpenes are classified by how many of these isoprene building blocks they contain. Monoterpenes (two isoprenes), sesquiterpenes (three isoprenes), and diterpenes (four isoprenes) are the most common types of terpenes. Terpenes typically account for 1-2% of hemp flower’s weight. 

The aromatic profiles of many plants rely on these highly volatile terpene compounds. You may already be familiar with many terpenes but might not know their names. 

Examples of terpenes include:

Read more: What Are Terpenes? Terpenes 101

What Is Limonene?

Limonene, which is sometimes referred to as D-limonene, is a monoterpene, meaning it’s composed of two isoprenes. But it’s limonene’s aroma that you’re probably familiar with: a sweet, citrusy, fruity scent reminiscent of tangerines and lemons. Limonene makes up a large percentage of the essential oils found in citrus rinds. Besides citrus, you may find limonene in hemp, caraway, juniper, dill, and some coniferous trees. 

Fun fact: Limonene is one of the most plentiful terpenes found in plants! 2

Although it is rarely the dominant terpene,  you may find limonene in many hemp cultivars. 

Bushel of Juniper Berries
Bushels of Juniper berries are high in limonene

What Is Limonene Used For?

Thanks to its bright, fresh scent, limonene is used as a flavoring agent for food & drinks, a component in many fragrances, and as an additive in cleaning products. In addition to these commercial uses, scientists are researching how it affects the human body and how it might be used in a therapeutic capacity.

Here is a short list of some potential benefits that have been researched:

  • anti-anxiety 1,2,6
  • aid with gastro-oesophageal reflux 1
  • antibacterial 1
  • antibiotic 2
  • inhibition of acne 2
  • immunostimulation1
  • anti-inflammatory 2,4,5
  • analgesic qualities 3

While some of the results look very promising, we must be patient and wait for more research to confirm any potential benefits that limonene could offer. 

Limonene Infographic tile

Sunset Lake CBD Cultivars Featuring Limonene

Our Vermont-grown hemp naturally produces high levels of many terpenes. We send samples of our hemp cultivars to a third-party laboratory to determine the terpene profile of each. Below is a breakdown of the limonene content for the 2022 crop of Sunset Lake CBD hemp flowers. These percentages may seem small, but a little bit can be quite powerful!

Lifter – 0.08% limonene

Sour Lifter – 0.1% 

Hawaiian Haze – 0.13% 

Suver Haze – 0.06% 

Sour Suver Haze – 0.2% 

Super Sour Space Candy – 0.12%

Cherry Abacus – 0.13% 

Candy Kush  – 0.09% 

*Note: The percentage of terpenes is reported on a by-weight basis.

Sources:

  1. Russo E. B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British journal of pharmacology, 163(7), 1344–1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x
  2. Ahmad, Samoon, and Kevin P. Hill. Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook, Wolters Kluwer, Philadelphia, 2021, pp. 112 & 276t
  3. Araújo-Filho, H. G., Pereira, E., Rezende, M. M., Menezes, P. P., Araújo, A., Barreto, R., Martins, A., Albuquerque, T. R., Silva, B., Alcantara, I. S., Coutinho, H., Menezes, I., Quintans-Júnior, L. J., & Quintans, J. (2017). D-limonene exhibits superior antihyperalgesic effects in a β-cyclodextrin-complexed form in chronic musculoskeletal pain reducing Fos protein expression on spinal cord in mice. Neuroscience, 358, 158–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.neuroscience.2017.06.037
  4. Bacanlı, M., Başaran, A. A., & Başaran, N. (2015). The antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties of citrus phenolics limonene and naringin. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 81, 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2015.04.015
  5. Yu, L., Yan, J., & Sun, Z. (2017). D-limonene exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in an ulcerative colitis rat model via regulation of iNOS, COX-2, PGE2 and ERK signaling pathways. Molecular Medicine Reports, 15, 2339-2346. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2017.6241
  6. Costa, C. A., Cury, T. C., Cassettari, B. O., Takahira, R. K., Flório, J. C., & Costa, M. (2013). Citrus aurantium L. essential oil exhibits anxiolytic-like activity mediated by 5-HT(1A)-receptors and reduces cholesterol after repeated oral treatment. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 13, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-13-42