Linalool is an essential oil that is found in cannabis and other flowers, as well as spices. The fragrance is heady with a tinge of spice. Linalool has been used in a variety of commercial applications due to its natural origins and pleasant scent. It’s commonly used in soaps, shampoos, and hand creams because of its natural smell. Linalool is a highly utilized terpene that has also been utilized for fleas, fruit flies, and cockroaches as an insecticide.
What are the medical benefits of linalool?
Today, as scientific research on terpenes advances, it is more apparent than ever that these compounds possess enormous potential as therapeutic agents. Several studies have already shown the advantages of linalool:
- Antimicrobial: Linalool’s antibacterial property is advantageous not only to plants, but it may also be useful for people.
- Antidepressant and anti-anxiety: Mice exposed to linalool vapors in a study showed reduced levels of stress and anxiety, as well as greater calmness and the ability to find a solution when faced with threatening, frightening situations.
- Makes the immune system more resilient to stress: The immune system cells are influenced by stress. When subjected to lengthy periods of stress, lymphocytes – or white cells – decrease while neutrophils increase, making us more vulnerable to sickness. Following linalool exposure in rats, the changes were reduced as the terpene apparently activates the organism’s parasympathetic response, assisting to avoid physical symptoms of tension and worry.
- Anticonvulsant: According to a study, linalool blocks glutamate receptors that are linked with the immune system’s main excitatory neurotransmitter, which is produced by neurons and glial cells. This might be why linalool works in some epileptic episodes.
- Anti-inflammatory: Linalool has been shown in studies to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. This might aid in the treatment of persistent inflammation, which is considered a common cause of serious illnesses including cancer and multiple sclerosis.
- Analgesic: Linalool has been found to help relieve pain in certain cases, providing a natural alternative to traditional medicine.
Linalool aroma
Lavender is frequently compared to linalool by people. The scent isn’t exactly lavender, but there is a hint of spice in it. It’s tough to pinpoint the distinct aroma of linalool in cannabis because cannabis has such a complex and rich fragrance. Terpenes form the powerful and robust scent of cannabis, so identifying individual terpene scents might be difficult. When several terpene scents are added on top of each other, the scent change in an intricate way. For cannabis users, the blending odors of many terpenes provide the distinctive and pleasurable fragrance of cannabis.
Linalool safety
In small quantities, linalool is harmless for humans. In 1988, according to the US National Toxicology Program, approximately 3.6 million kilograms of Linalool were used throughout the world in fragrances and natural flavoring for food. Linalool is efficiently broken down by the body into innocuous metabolites. THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids can remain in the system for several weeks. Terpenes do not accumulate in the human body and are quickly eliminated.
Properties of linalool
The presence of linalool in many plants suggests that it has a lot of real-world applications. Linalool isn’t confined to cannabis. The pesticidal properties of linalool could be why so many plants produce it. It’s plausible that a little quantity of linalool production helps the plant defend itself against insects and long enough to reproduce seeds for the following generation. LINALOOL also has antibacterial properties. Crop health was significantly enhanced as a result of linalool exposure.
Effects of linalool
In humans, linalool has a calming effect. Linalool-producing plants from the mint family were tested for their impact on Amazonian herbal medicine. LinalOOL was found to have anticonvulsant properties and acted as a hypnotic, anticonvulsant, and hypothermic agent on the central nervous system. In this experiment , linalool was shown to have anti-convulsive effects when given via vaporized doses of linalool to mice. Mice were found to be comatose when placed in a linalool vapor chamber for one hour. It’s probable that linalool has a sedative effect on humans when consumed in cannabis. The entourage effect, which is the synergy between terpenes and cannabinoids, may modulate the type of high produced by cannabis plants. Perhaps linalool-rich Cannabis seed strains are the most sedating for certain cannabis consumers.
Linalool and anxiety
Linalool is a potent natural anti-anxiety agent. Linalool has been used in aromatherapy as a way to alleviate anxiety. There is scientific evidence to support the claims for anti-anxiety effects. Another study investigated linalool’s impact on aggressive behavior, anxiety (anti-anxiolytic effects) and social interaction in mice. Linalool administration reduced aggressiveness and anxiety in mice, resulting in improved social bonding. The conclusion of the study reads, “These findings lend further support to the hypothesis that inhaling linalool-rich essential oils can be beneficial as a technique to relax and relieve anxiety.” A linalool rich strain may well induce a high with significant anti-anxiety and stress-relieving effects for cannabis users.
Linalool has been shown to have anti-stress qualities in rats. The soothing, fast-acting stress reliever effect of cannabis is one of the most recognized features of marijuana. Perhaps cannabinoids and terpenes working together play a role in this result. The body and muscles can relax when the mind feels less stress and worry. When people grow their own cannabis from feminized seeds or autoflower seeds, they generally search for high-quality strains that provide comfort and pleasure. Any cannabis connoisseur will tell you that once stress and anxiety are relieved, authentic rest and relaxation can begin…
Linalool and Alzheimers disease
According to several studies, linalool has the ability to reduce symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease. Once again, mice were used in this study. All of the Alzheimers-equivalent mice were treated with linalool every two days. Mice that received linalool had improved cognitive and emotional function, according to the research. That does not imply that linalool is an effective Alzheimer’s treatment; rather, it suggests that it might be a worth investigating option for future research.
How does linalool affect the brain?
According to studies, the behavioral effects of linalool are largely influenced by its actions in the brain. One method is by blocking glutamate receptors, which might account for linalool’s anti-epileptic qualities in some epilepsies. This terpene has the potential to improve the effectiveness of other relaxants, such as pentobarbital.
Linalool has additional mechanisms of action that may help reduce anxiety. For instance, it inhibits the signaling strength of acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in muscle contraction and movement. Linalool can have anesthetic-like qualities by reducing the excitability of cells in the spinal cord that send pain messages to the brain.
Linalool elevates adenosine levels, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is inhibited by caffeine and which plays a key role in the pain relief provided by linalool. This wide range of central nervous system targets contributes to its sedative, anxiety-reducing, and pain-relieving effects.
Linalool’s advantages in pain treatment are supported by its neuroprotective effects. In one research, obese persons who had gastric banding surgery were either exposed to lavender oil-rich linalool vapor or a plain control. Only 46% of those who breathed lavender oil required post-surgical opioid medication, compared to 82% of the control group. Furthermore, the morphine requirements of those in the lavender group were 47 percent lower than those in the control group, suggesting that linalool might assist with reduced post-surgery opioid pain therapy dependency.
Linalool and cannabis
Cannabis terpenes are still somewhat misunderstood. Although linalool may impact the type of high produced by the user, more research is needed to figure out how this works. Over the next decade, as scientific knowledge advances, scientists will learn more about the role of linalool and other terpenes.