What does Myrcene do?

Myrcene is a terpene known as the active sedating compound of hops and lemon grass, also found in basil, mangos, and its namesake, Myrcia sphaerocarpa, a medicinal shrub from Brazil which was traditionally used to treat diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery and hypertension. Studies have shown a range of positive health effects from significant analgesic effect to anti-inflammatory properties we will explore in this article.

A study (Jansen et al 2019) about terpenes and the regulation of Nociceptive Transient Receptor Potential channel TRPV1 showed myrcene to be a leading terpene in substantial pain management. What was fascinating is the fact that myrcene alone did more to activate TRPV1 than all the other terpenes combined, but when all the other terpenes were paired with myrcene it improved the efficacy of the group as a whole. This lends itself well to the concept of the “entourage effect” where certain terpenes act like salt in food, improving the efficacy of other terpenes when acting together. A Botanacine example is our Douglas Fir essential oil – it has a suite of terpenes that includes myrcene and thus would produce an enhanced analgesic effect. The myrcene in our nasal inhalers is actually isolated from the Douglas Fir as well and of local origin.

An interesting question that has arisen is about myrcene in mango fruits, and you may have noticed the mango on the Botanacine myrcene label. Mangos do have a high concentration of myrcene compared to other fruits and although it is present in fresh and dried mangos, the fresh ones have the most of this terpene.

Apart from pain relief what does myrcene do to the human body? A study (Vale et al, 2002) looked at muscle relaxation in mice and how terpenes affected this. It was observed that myrcene presented sedative as well as motor relaxant effects. Another article (Brugnatelli, V) summarized that myrcene could significantly improve immune functions as well as decrease pain sensations caused by inflammation and/or chronic pain. This could make this terpene effective at managing ostheoarthritis, neuropathic pain, or dermatitis.

Myrcene has a relaxing effect on the body due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory qualities.

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References
Brugnatelli, V (unknown). Anti-inflammatory & anti-nociceptive properties of β-myrcene. Fundación Canna, https://www.fundacion-canna.es/en/anti-inflammatory-anti-nociceptive-properties-v-myrcene .
Hartsel et al (2016). Chapter 53 – Cannabis Sativa and Hemp. Nutraceuticals Efficacy, Safety and Toxicity 2016: 735-754.
Jansen et al (2019). Myrcene and terpene regulation of TRPV1. Channels (Austin) 13(1): 344-366.
Vale et al (2002). Central effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba (Mill.) n.e. Brown. Phytomedicine 9(8): 709-714.