Collection: Limonene Terpene

Limonene Potential Effects:

Despite limonene’s potential therapeutic benefits, little is known about how it works in the brain and body, and what doses are required to achieve these benefits. In many of the limonene studies to date, high doses were used—much higher than amounts found in hemp. More hemp research is desperately needed, but studies on limonene so far have shown potential in the following applications:

Elevated mood
Stress relief
Antifungal properties & antibacterial properties
May help relieve heartburn and gastric reflux

There’s also promising evidence for limonene’s anti-tumor effects. In lab rodents, limonene inhibited the growth of skin and mammary tumors. These studies were followed up with a Phase I human clinical trial which found that limonene was somewhat effective at reducing breast cancer tumor growth for nearly a year. Later studies found that daily limonene supplementation for 2-6 weeks silenced a protein that promotes breast cancer tumor growth, suggesting that daily limonene consumption may inhibit the growth and spread of breast tumors.

Additional reports have revealed benefits of limonene in laboratory models of lung cancer and brain cancer by causing tumor cell death. But like limonene’s benefits in breast cancer, high doses are likely needed beyond what may be present in cannabis alone. It’s unknown, however, whether the presence of certain cannabinoids extends limonene’s anti-cancer effects. Currently, there is not nearly enough evidence to conclude that cannabis products high in limonene will be effective as cancer treatments in humans.

Limonene Facts:

Aroma: Citrus

Vaporizes at: 348ºF (176ºC)

Potential effects: Elevated mood, stress relief, euphoric

Potential therapeutic value: Treatment of anxiety, depression, inflammation, pain, and cancer

Also found in: Fruit rinds, rosemary, juniper, peppermint