Geraniol
Identity
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Preferred name | Geraniol |
| IUPAC name | (2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dien-1-ol |
| CAS number | 106-24-1 |
| PubChem CID | 637566 |
| Chemical family | Acyclic Monoterpene Alcohol |
| Molecular formula | C10H18O |
| Molecular mass | 154.25 g/mol |
| Stereochemistry | No chiral centers. The (2E) geometric isomer is geraniol; the (2Z) isomer is nerol. Do not collapse the pair [^1] |
Aroma and sensory character
Sweet, rose-like, floral, and citrus-herbaceous character.
Occurrence outside cannabis
- Rose (Rosa species)
- Geranium (Pelargonium species)
- Lemongrass (Cymbopogon species)
- Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus)
Physical properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard boiling point | ≈229–230 °C at 760 mmHg [^1] |
| Reference pressure | 101.325 kPa |
| Data source | NTP 1992 via PubChem (CID 637566); Sigma-Aldrich catalog value; consistent across NTP, Sigma-Aldrich, and ChemicalBook [^1] |
Thermal-extraction context
Geraniol is a low-volatility monoterpene alcohol; in dry-herb vaporizer chambers it volatilizes by vapor-pressure-driven evaporation from the plant matrix, not by bulk boiling.
Reported biological activity
Human evidence
No controlled human study of inhaled isolated geraniol was identified in this archive’s literature review (as of 2026-08-08).
Animal or laboratory evidence
In vitro studies of cannabis terpenes report CB1-receptor negative allosteric modulation, with geraniol among the terpenes tested 1; broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity has also been reported in vitro. Concentrations exceed plausible cannabis-inhalation exposure.
Traditional or anecdotal claims
Long use in perfumery and traditional rose-based preparations; geraniol and its autoxidation products are recognized contact sensitizers in fragrance use.
Cannabis laboratory results
Published peer-reviewed analyses place geraniol at trace or below-quantification levels: not detected or trace in Finola hemp (Booth et al. 2017) 2, and below the LOQ in two US hemp cultivars using a validated hydrodistillation/GC-MS method 3. Marketing sources claim elevated geraniol in specific cultivars, but no batch-level peer-reviewed data substantiate this. Consult Lab Results for batch-level measurements.
Sources
Related pages
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LaVigne JE, Hecksel R, Keresztes A, Streicher JM. Cannabis sativa terpenes are cannabimimetic and selectively enhance cannabinoid activity at CB1 receptors. Sci Rep. 2021;11:8232. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87740-8. PMID 33859287. (In vitro CB1 pharmacology; geraniol among the tested terpenes. Note: an earlier draft of this record cited a non-existent “Cannabimimetic phytochemicals in the diet” article to LaVigne; that citation was incorrect and has been replaced.) ↩
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Booth JK, Page JE, Bohlmann J. Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0173911. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0173911. PMID 28355238. (Terpene profiles of cannabis/hemp cultivars, incl. ‘Finola’.) ↩
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Joy N, et al. A Validated GC-MS Method for Major Terpenes Quantification in Cannabis sativa L. Essential Oil. 2025. PMC12670203; PMID 40042239. ↩
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