What Does Myrcene Do? Effects, Strains, and How to Use It
Myrcene is the terpene tied to couch lock and earthy cannabis aroma. Learn what myrcene does in the body, its boiling point, top strains, and safety.
Myrcene is a monoterpene found in hops, lemongrass, and cannabis. In rodents it acts as a sedative, a muscle relaxant, and a pain reliever. In humans, no controlled trial has tested myrcene alone at doses reached by smoking or vaping. Claims about sedation, couch lock, and mango boosting a high come from self-report and dispensary marketing, not measurement.
What myrcene is
Myrcene (beta-myrcene) is a monoterpene with the formula C10H16 and a molecular weight of 136.23 g/mol. It is a clear liquid at room temperature with an earthy, musky odor. Boiling point: 167 C (332 F).
Myrcene Effects: How It Works in the Body
Sources include hops, lemongrass, bay leaf, thyme, verbena, and mango. In cannabis, myrcene is the dominant single terpene in many cultivars, at 0.1 percent to 0.5 percent of dry flower weight in typical samples. Myrcene is also a precursor in the plant pathway that leads to other terpenes and to cannabinoids such as CBG, CBC, and THC.
Animal data
The main rodent study is do Vale et al., Phytomedicine, 2002. Mice given myrcene at 100 to 200 mg per kg of body weight showed reduced motor activity, longer pentobarbital sleep time, and analgesia. Naloxone blocked the pain relief, which points to opioid receptor involvement.
Myrcene Effects on Anxiety: What the Evidence Says
Other mouse and rat work reports anti-inflammatory effects in paw edema models. These doses are far above what a person inhales from cannabis. Route matters: oral gavage in rodents is not the same as heated inhalation in humans.
Human evidence
There is no published human trial of isolated myrcene at cannabis-relevant doses. Reports of body heaviness, calm, or sleepiness after a myrcene-heavy strain are self-report. Those reports cannot separate myrcene from THC, CBD, other terpenes, or the expectation of the user.
The entourage effect, the idea that terpenes change cannabinoid action, has support from a small number of whole-extract studies. Those studies do not isolate myrcene.
Dose and delivery
Myrcene vaporizes at 167 C (332 F), below the temperature of a typical vape (180 to 230 C). Combustion destroys part of it. A 0.5 g joint of flower testing 0.5 percent myrcene contains about 2.5 mg total. Rodent studies used 100 to 200 mg per kg. For a 70 kg adult that equals 7,000 to 14,000 mg. The gap is large.
The mango claim
A common claim says eating mango before cannabis increases the high because mango contains myrcene. Mango does contain myrcene, at low levels. Oral myrcene is metabolized in the liver before it reaches the brain in meaningful amounts. No clinical study has tested the claim.
Sedation and couch lock
Retailers label myrcene-heavy cultivars as sedating and cite a 0.5 percent threshold. The threshold traces to dispensary marketing material, not controlled data. Sedation after cannabis use tracks THC dose, THC metabolite levels, and individual tolerance. Myrcene may add to that effect. The size of the addition is unknown.
Safety and regulation
Myrcene is listed as a permitted synthetic flavoring substance in US food regulation at 21 CFR 172.515. It is used in food and cosmetics at low concentrations. Undiluted myrcene is a skin and eye irritant and oxidizes in air. Rodent studies at high oral doses report liver and kidney changes. Relevance to inhaled low doses is not established. Data on inhaled myrcene in humans is not available.
Key points
- Myrcene is a monoterpene, C10H16, boiling point 167 C.
- Animal data shows sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia at 100 to 200 mg/kg.
- Human data at cannabis doses does not exist.
- Myrcene is FDA permitted as a food flavoring.
- The mango claim has no clinical support.