What is Alpha-Bisabolol?
Alpha-bisabolol, also known as bisabolol, is a terpene that you will find in some strains of cannabis flower. Besides cannabis, it is found in German chamomile. Chamomile tea smells strongly of alpha-bisabolol because the flowers have high concentrations of it. Alpha-bisabolol has a floral and sweet aroma that makes it a great fragrance and flavoring agent. This terpene is used commercially in many skin care products for its wound healing and skin absorption properties. In cannabis, alpha-bisabolol adds a subtle floral note to some strains. It is common to find it present in concentrates and vape cartridges even if it isn’t detected in the cannabis flower because of its large molecular size and high vaporization point. To see what products we have available that contain this terpene, check out our menu.
Chamomile flower (Sarbast.T.Hameed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Where is Alpha-Bisabolol Found?
If you have ever enjoyed a nice cup of chamomile tea, then you have had bisabolol before and could probably recognize the smell. Alpha-bisabolol is also found in the bark of Candeia, a tree in Brazil and in Salvia runcinate, a perennial herb indigenous to South America. Some cosmetic products like face washes, shaving creams, lotions, and moisturizers contain this terpene for its sweet, floral fragrance and for its skin absorption and healing properties.
Potential Therapeutic Benefits
Cultivars with Alpha-Bisabolol
Pine Walker CBDV-A
LA Kush Cake
Orange Kush Cake
References
- Bisabolol. CPID. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.whatsinproducts.com/chemicals/view/1/1055/000515-69-5.
- Braga, P. C., Dal Sasso, M., Fonti, E., & Culici, M. (2009). Antioxidant activity of bisabolol: inhibitory effects on chemiluminescence of human neutrophil bursts and cell-free systems. Pharmacology, 83 (2), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.1159/000186049
- da Silva, A. P., Martini, M. V., de Oliveira, C. M., Cunha, S., de Carvalho, J. E., Ruiz, A. L., & da Silva, C. C. (2010). Antitumor activity of (-)-alpha-bisabolol-based thiosemicarbazones against human tumor cell lines. European journal of medicinal chemistry, 45(7), 2987–2993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2010.03.026
- de Cássia da Silveira E Sá, R., Lima, T. C., da Nóbrega, F. R., de Brito, A., & de Sousa, D. P. (2017). Analgesic-Like Activity of Essential Oil Constituents: An Update. International journal of molecular sciences, 18(12), 2392. https://doi.org/10.3390/I jms18122392
- Forrer, M., Kulik, E. M., Filippi, A., & Waltimo, T. (2013). The antimicrobial activity of alpha-bisabolol and tea tree oil against Solobacterium moorei, a Gram-positive bacterium associated with halitosis. Archives of oral biology, 58(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.08.001
- Javed, H., Meeran, M., Azimullah, S., Bader Eddin, L., Dwivedi, V. D., Jha, N. K., & Ojha, S. (2020). α-Bisabolol, a Dietary Bioactive Phytochemical Attenuates Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration through Modulation of Oxidative Stress, Neuroinflammation and Apoptosis in Rotenone-Induced Rat Model of Parkinson’s disease. Biomolecules, 10(10), 1421. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10101421
- Kamatou, G. P., & Viljoen, A. M. (2009). A review of the application and pharmacological properties of α-bisabolol and α-bisabolol-rich oils. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 87(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-009-1483-3
- Kim, S., Jung, E., Kim, J. H., Park, Y. H., Lee, J., & Park, D. (2011). Inhibitory effects of (-)-α-bisabolol on LPS-induced inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophages. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 49(10), 2580–2585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2011.06.076
- Mao, J. J., Xie, S. X., Keefe, J. R., Soeller, I., Li, Q. S., & Amsterdam, J. D. (2016). Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine : International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology, 23(14), 1735–1742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2016.10.012
- Rigo, A., Ferrarini, I., Lorenzetto, E., Darra, E., Liparulo, I., Bergamini, C., Sissa, C., Cavalieri, E., & Vinante, F. (2019). BID and the α- bisabolol-triggered cell death program: converging on mitochondria and lysosomes. Cell Death & Disease, 10(12), 889. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-019-2126-8
- Uno, M., Kokuryo, T., Yokoyama, Y., Senga, T., & Nagino, M. (2016). α-Bisabolol Inhibits Invasiveness and Motility in Pancreatic Cancer Through KISS1R Activation. Anticancer Research, 36(2), 583–589.
- Xu, C., Sheng, S., Dou, H., Chen, J., Zhou, K., Lin, Y., & Yang, H. (2020). α-Bisabolol suppresses the inflammatory response and ECM catabolism in advanced glycation end products-treated chondrocytes and attenuates murine osteoarthritis. International Immunopharmacology, 84, 106530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2020.106530
Updated 11/15/2022
