Your guide to beta-caryophyllene

Beta-caryophyllene is a type of chemical compound called a terpene. It’s found in cannabis and other plants. Beta-caryophyllene is known for its spicy, peppery scent as well as its potential health benefits.

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What is beta-caryophyllene?

Terpenes contribute to the flavor, aroma, and effects of plants. Beta-caryophyllene has a peppery scent and is known to help protect plants from insects and disease.

Beta-caryophyllene is found in:

• Black pepper
• Hops
• Basil
• Lavender
• Oregano
• Clove
• Cinnamon
• Cannabis

Because of its aroma and flavor, beta-caryophyllene is commonly used in food and beverage products. It’s also used in medicine for its potential health benefits.

Beta-caryophyllene is unique in that it’s both a terpene and a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are compounds that affect your body’s endocannabinoid system, which balances important bodily processes such as:

• Inflammation
• Pain
• Mood
• Brain function

Beta-caryophyllene benefits

Research shows that beta-caryophyllene may have several potential health benefits.

Eases anxiety and depression

A number of studies have found that beta-caryophyllene may help relieve anxiety and depression. One rodent study found that the terpene helped reduce anxiety and depression-related behaviors. Another rodent study shows similar results.

Relieves pain

Beta-caryophyllene may help lower pain by affecting pain receptors in your nervous system. One review found that consuming the terpene may help relieve nerve pain (neuropathy).

Supports brain health

Research has found that beta-caryophyllene may help lower inflammation in the brain and protect brain health. One study in mice found that it may also help reduce brain plaques that contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lowers inflammation 

A review found that beta-caryophyllene has anti-inflammatory effects that may help treat chronic inflammation. In one animal study, the terpene lowered inflammation related to multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system.

Has potential anticancer effects 

A lab study found that beta-caryophyllene helps kill colorectal cancer cells. But human studies are needed to confirm these effects.

Has antioxidant properties

Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage your body’s cells. This cell damage may lead to health problems like cancer and premature aging. Beta-caryophyllene is an antioxidant, which can protect your body from free radicals.

Fights infections 

Research shows that beta-caryophyllene has antibacterial effects that may fight certain bacterial infections, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (staph infections).

Helps with alcohol use disorder 

A mouse study found that consuming beta-caryophyllene may lower the desire to drink alcohol. This suggests that the terpene might help treat alcohol use disorder. However, human studies are needed to confirm these results.

In another mouse study, beta-caryophyllene was helped reduce liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

Beta-caryophyllene terpene in cannabis

Beta-caryophyllene is one of over 150 terpenes found in cannabis. Anecdotally, people report that strains high in beta-caryophyllene may help:

• Lower anxiety
• Improve mood
• Ease pain

Beta-caryophyllene concentrations in cannabis vary depending on the strain. They usually range from 0.02% to 8.2%. But some strains contain up to 35% of the terpene.

To find strains that are high in beta-caryophyllene, look at the labels of cannabis products at a dispensary for a breakdown of terpene concentrations.

High-beta-caryophyllene strains

Some strains of cannabis contain especially high amounts of beta-caryophyllene.

• OG Kush may help relieve stress and pain.
• Girl Scout Cookies may help promote relaxation without causing drowsiness.
• Cookies and Cream might help boost focus and mood and ease pain.
• Master Kush is known to help your body relax while keeping you alert.
• Bubba Kush is a popular strain for promoting sleep and a sense of calm.

Learn more about these strains and others from a budtender at your local dispensary, or from a Leafwell provider.

The bottom line: Beta-caryophyllene plays a role in the health benefits of cannabis

Beta-caryophyllene is an important cannabis compound. Not only does it impact the plant’s smell and flavor, it also helps improve bodily processes and offers certain health benefits.

To learn more about how beta-caryophyllene in cannabis can benefit your health, contact a provider at Leafwell.

Resources

• Anxiety therapeutic interventions of β-caryophyllene: A laboratory-based study. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1934578X20962229
• β-Caryophyllene, a CB2 receptor agonist produces multiple behavioral changes relevant to anxiety and depression in mice. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938414003400
• β-caryophyllene ameliorates the Alzheimer-like phenotype in APP/PS1 Mice through CB2 receptor activation and the PPARγ pathway. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25171128/
• β‐caryophyllene and β‐caryophyllene oxide—natural compounds of anticancer and analgesic properties. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5083753/
• β-Caryophyllene protects against alcoholic steatohepatitis by attenuating inflammation and metabolic dysregulation in mice. https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.13722
• Enhanced antibacterial effect of antibiotics by the essential oil of Aloysia gratissima (Gillies & Hook.) Tronc. and its major constituent beta-caryophyllene. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031321000828
• Low doses of β-caryophyllene reduced clinical and paraclinical parameters of an autoimmune animal model of multiple sclerosis: Investigating the role of CB2 receptors in inflammation by lymphocytes and microglial. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/7/1092
• Neuroprotective effect of β-caryophyllene on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via regulation of necroptotic neuronal death and inflammation: In vivo and in vitro. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2017.00583/full
• Protective effects of (E)-β-caryophyllene (BCP) in chronic inflammation. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3273
• Secondary terpenes in Cannabis sativa L.: Synthesis and synergy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9775512/
• Terpenes in cannabis sativa — from plant genome to humans. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945219301190
• The anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the sesquiterpene β-caryophyllene from the essential oil of Aquilaria crassna. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/20/7/11808
• The cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist, β-caryophyllene, reduced voluntary alcohol intake and attenuated ethanol-induced place preference and sensitivity in mice. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24999220/

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