Myrcene is a monoterpene, the smallest of terpenes, and is found in very high concentrations in sweet basil, hops, mangos, and cannabis. Myrcene gets its name from Myrcia sphaerocarpa, a medicinal shrub from Brazil high in myrcene. Myrcene is described as having an earthy, fruity clove-like odor, but can be very pungent in higher concentrations, such as in heavily hopped beers. Not surprisingly, hops and cannabis are cousins, both members of the family Cannabaceae.

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Myrcene was discovered to be the most abundant terpene in many cannabis strains. Other terpenes in the 1997 study¹ include pinene, limonene, carene, humulene, bergamotene, terpinolene, and caryophyllene. For some strains, myrcene is over half the total terpene content.

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Myrcene is vital in the formation of other terpenes, and it synergizes the antibiotic potential of other terpenes. Myrcene allows for more absorption of cannabinoids by the brain by changing the permeability of cell membranes. Myrcene works with cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN) to achieve better results than if they were isolated.

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Rumors that eating a ripe mango before smoking will enhance your high have been around since the 1970s. Steep Hill Labs,³ a major cannabis testing laboratory in the Bay Area, confirmed this belief. They reported that most people experience an increased effect from cannabis by eating a fresh mango 45 minutes before inhaling or consuming cannabinoids. The myrcene found in mangoes is the main contributing factor to this effect. These “overlapping synergies” between myrcene and other terpenes with various cannabinoids, is known as the entourage effect.²

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Myrcene has been found to block the cancer-causing effects of aflatoxins travel to many of our food sources from fungi.³ Myrcene’s inhibition of the liver enzyme CYP2B1 is responsible for these anti-mutagen effects. Myrcene also mitigates DNA damage from toxins such as t-butyl-hydroperoxide.⁴ Myrcene has also been used for many years as a folk remedy for hypertension, diabetes, diarrhea, and dysentery.

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Top cannabis strains containing myrcene include OG Kush, Remedy, 9 Pound Hammer, Grape Ape, FPOG, AK-47, Granddaddy Purple, Blue Dream, Tangie, and Harlequin.