Myrcene

What is myrcene?

Myrcene (often written beta-myrcene) is a monoterpene: a small, light aroma molecule built from ten carbon atoms. Plants make it, and in cannabis it's produced in the tiny resin glands called trichomes, the same place cannabinoids like THC come from.

It's one of the big ones in cannabis. Across thousands of flower samples from its lab partners, Leafly found myrcene made up over 20% of the terpene profile on average, and in its 2019 data a random flower product was myrcene-dominant about 40% of the time. Individual batches vary a lot, though.

Outside the plant world, myrcene is mostly a building block. Industry makes it by heating a pine-derived terpene, then uses it to produce other fragrance ingredients, including linalool.

What does myrcene smell like?

Myrcene smells earthy and musky, with a hop-like edge. Some describe a peppery or balsam note, with sweet, fruity undertones that remind people of mango. In beer, it's part of the spicy, resinous smell that fresh hops give.

On its own it isn't flashy. In a strain it tends to sit underneath brighter terpenes, adding depth and a slightly herbal, earthy base.

Where is myrcene found besides cannabis?

Myrcene shows up in a lot of plants. A few familiar ones:

• Hops: part of the spicy, resinous aroma hops bring to beer.
• Mango: one of the aroma compounds in the fruit.
• Lemongrass: the grassy, lemony herb used in cooking and tea.

Does myrcene change how a strain feels?

Nobody knows for sure. Research on whether terpenes change how cannabis feels is early and mixed. The "entourage effect", the idea that terpenes and cannabinoids work together, is still being tested, and a 2024 review of the research found it remains unproven.

You'll often hear that myrcene is what makes a strain "indica". Leafly looked at its own lab data and found that idea doesn't hold up. People do describe how myrcene-rich strains feel to them, but those reports are not proof.

Myrcene vs Linalool

Both are common cannabis terpenes, but they smell nothing alike. Myrcene is earthy, musky and hoppy, while Linalool is floral with a little spice, the smell most people know from lavender. Chemically, linalool carries an oxygen atom that myrcene lacks, and myrcene is actually one of the starting materials industry uses to make linalool for soaps and perfumes. If a strain smells like a garden, think linalool. If it smells like a hop field, think myrcene.

Finding myrcene on a label

Some producers list the top terpenes right on the package, and others put them in a certificate of analysis for the batch. Look there for myrcene and how it ranks against the other terpenes.

Strain names are only a rough guide. Leafly names OG Kush, Blue Dream and Tangie among strains often high in myrcene, but terpene levels change with the grower, the growing conditions and the batch, so the lab numbers for your product tell you more than the name does.