Pinene is exactly what it sounds like: the crisp, resinous scent of a pine forest, or of fresh rosemary crushed between your fingers. It is one of the most abundant terpenes in the natural world, appearing in more plants than almost any other, and alpha-pinene is the version most common in cannabis. It is the terpene of fresh air and clear mornings.

Where you find it in nature

Pine needles and conifer trees, rosemary, basil, dill, parsley, and orange peel. Because it is so widespread across evergreens and herbs, pinene is one of the scents the human nose recognizes fastest.

Aroma and flavor

Sharp, fresh, and green, like a walk through evergreens. It reads as clean and bright, and it lifts the top of a flavor profile, adding a crisp, almost cooling quality that balances heavier, sweeter notes.

What the research says

• Pinene is best known in the research literature for its interaction with acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme tied to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Perry and colleagues documented this activity in 2000, and Miyazawa and Yamafuji measured it more precisely in 2005.
• Russo's 2011 review highlighted pinene for this reason, and discussed the idea that it might counterbalance some of the short-term memory effects of THC. That is a hypothesis about the whole-plant entourage, not a settled result.
• Pinene has also been studied as a bronchodilator, one of the more established directions in the older literature.

As with the others, most of this is preclinical or mechanistic work on the compound. It tells you why pinene is scientifically interesting, not what a candy will do.

Strains rich in pinene

Pinene brings a fresh lift to bright, energetic strains. Read more about Pineapple Express and Jack Herer, both known for a piney character.

Frequently asked questions

Does pinene get you high?

No. Pinene is the aroma compound of pine and rosemary, not a cannabinoid, and it does not produce a high. See do terpenes get you high.

Is the pinene in cannabis the same as in pine trees?

Yes. It is the same molecule. The pinene that gives a pine forest its scent is chemically identical to the pinene in a piney cannabis strain, which is a good example of how terpenes cross the whole plant world.

What does pinene smell like?

Fresh pine and evergreen, sharp and green, with a hint of rosemary.

Pinene in MONDAYS

Look for it in The Daily Commute (Pineapple Express) and the botanical Jack Herer x Kona Pineapple.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References

1. Perry NSL, et al. In-vitro inhibition of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase by essential oil constituents. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 2000;52(7):895-902.
2. Miyazawa M, Yamafuji C. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity by bicyclic monoterpenoids. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;53(5):1765-1768.
3. Russo EB. Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology. 2011;163(7):1344-1364.