Guide to linalool, the terpene that smells like lavender

Linalool is a terpene found in cannabis, lavender, and other plants. It has a floral aroma and is widely used for its health benefits, including stress relief.

Get your medical marijuana card

Select State

Get started

What is linalool?

Linalool is a chemical produced by some plants to attract pollinators and protect against diseases. Plants that contain linalool include:

• Lavender
• Basil
• Mint
• Oranges
• Cannabis

Linalool has an aroma that combines notes of lavender, orange, and spice. It’s a common ingredient in fragrances, skincare, and cleaning products.

What are linalool’s effects?

Linalool has several potential health benefits, although more human studies are needed to confirm its effects.

Relieves pain

Research suggests that linalool may relieve pain by lowering the nervous system’s ability to communicate pain signals.

Linalool is the dominant terpene in lavender, and in one study, people recovering from surgery who vaporized lavender were far less likely to need opioids for pain management.

Linalool also has anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce pain and swelling.

Helps with anxiety and depression

Studies show that linalool lowers anxiety and depression symptoms. Linalool increases serotonin, a mood-enhancing hormone in your brain.

Chronic stress can decrease the number of white blood cells in your body, making it harder for your immune system to fight infections. A study in rats found that inhaling linalool prevented physical symptoms of stress, including changes in white blood cells.

Improves sleep

Lavender, which contains high amounts of linalool, has long been used for relaxation and sleep.

Multiple studies have shown that lavender essential oil can improve sleep quality.

In animal studies, linalool increased time asleep and improved symptoms of sleep deprivation, including anxiety and poor memory.

Boosts brain health

A study found that linalool reduced brain plaques in Alzheimer’s mice, with implications for Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Its anti-inflammatory effects may also lower brain inflammation, which affects functions like focus and memory.

Benefits the skin

Researchers found that a combination of linalool and linalyl acetate, another chemical in lavender, reduced psoriasis-related inflammation in mice.

However, pure linalool should never be applied to the skin, as this can cause irritation.

Acts as an antibiotic

Linalool has powerful bacteria-killing properties and may have promise as an antibacterial preservative in food.

Linalool terpene in cannabis

Linalool is one of over 150 terpenes in cannabis. Terpenes influence the flavor, aroma, and therapeutic effects of cannabis.

Cannabis users anecdotally report that linalool:

• Lowers stress and anxiety
• Improves sleep
• Reduces pain
• Helps with inflammation

Most cannabis strains produce low amounts of linalool compared to other terpenes. But some strains are bred for higher-than-average linalool concentrations.

To experience linalool’s effects in cannabis, look for strains that list linalool as a dominant terpene. This information should be provided on a product’s label.

High-linalool strains

Some cannabis strains produce more linalool than others:

• Dosido is a powerful strain that may lower anxiety and make it easier to fall asleep.
• Mazar I Sharif may lower stress and pain while helping you sleep.
• Amnesia Haze can boost your mood and creativity without causing drowsiness.
• Scooby Snack is known for its euphoric and body-relaxing effects that might help with pain and depression.
• LA Confidential is frequently recommended for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia.
• OG Shark may help with stress, nausea, and insomnia.
• Dark Matter is a mood-lifting strain that’s frequently recommended for depression.
• Lavender is a calming strain that may help you fall asleep more easily.
• Bubba Kush has relaxing effects that can aid sleep.
• The Original Z may help with anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

To learn about these and other high-linalool strains, talk with your dispensary’s budtender or a Leafwell provider.

Linalool side effects

In high quantities, linalool may cause side effects, such as:

• Sedation
• Poor coordination and motor skills
• Difficulty breathing
• Skin irritation

However, if you’re using cannabis products that contain linalool, you’re unlikely to experience these effects. Cannabis only produces small amounts of the terpene, and these side effects would likely result from using isolated or concentrated linalool.

The bottom line: Linalool adds to cannabis’s benefits and aroma 

Like many compounds in cannabis, linalool has several potential health benefits.

It’s widely used for stress relief, sleep benefits, pain relief, and more. Still, more human studies are needed to confirm these effects.

To explore linalool’s benefits in cannabis, consider applying for a medical cannabis card and purchasing products that contain the terpene. Leafwell’s telehealth providers can help you get started.

Resources

• A combination of linalool and linalyl acetate synergistically alleviates imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation in BALB/c mice. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9388787/
• Antimicrobial activity and proposed action mechanism of linalool against Pseudomonas fluorescens. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.562094/full
• Anti-inflammatory effects of linalool in RAW 264.7 macrophages and lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury model. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23228323/
• Inhaled linalool-induced sedation in mice. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18824339/
• Linalool. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/sites/default/files/ntp/htdocs/chem_background/exsumpdf/linalool_508.pdf
• Linalool ameliorates memory loss and behavioral impairment induced by REM-sleep deprivation through the serotonergic pathway. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29915164/
• Linalool as a therapeutic and medicinal tool in depression treatment: A review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9886818/
• Linalool blocks excitability in peripheral nerves and voltage-dependent Na+ current in dissociated dorsal root ganglia neurons. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014299910007119
• Linalool reverses neuropathological and behavioral impairments in old triple transgenic Alzheimer’s mice. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390815301660
• Stress repression in restrained rats by (R)-(−)-linalool inhalation and gene expression profiling of their whole blood cells. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jf900420g
• Terpenes in Cannabis sativa – from plant genome to humans. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945219301190
• The effect of lavender on sleep quality in individuals without insomnia: A systematic review. https://journals.lww.com/hnpjournal/abstract/2022/07000/the_effect_of_lavender_on_sleep_quality_in.6.aspx
• Treatment with lavender aromatherapy in the post-anesthesia care unit reduces opioid requirements of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17894152/

Get Your Medical Card

Select State

Get started