KAPN FIELD GUIDE / AROMA & FLAVOUR
Bisabolol
This entry concerns α-bisabolol, a sesquiterpene alcohol. It is distinct from bisabolol oxides, which are separate constituents sometimes abundant in chamomile oil.
Where it occurs naturally
α-Bisabolol occurs in some chamomile essential-oil chemotypes; chamomile oils vary in composition. A primary biosynthesis study also identified α-bisabolol synthase in candeia (Eremanthus erythropappus), whose trunk oil is a botanical source. Sources: Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): An overview; Identification of the Bisabolol Synthase in the Endangered Candeia Tree (Eremanthus erythropappus)
Aroma & flavour
A standalone aroma profile for α-bisabolol is not established.
What has research actually studied?
A review summarizes cell-culture studies in which isolated α-bisabolol reduced viability in human U138-MG and rat C6 glioma cell lines at tested micromolar concentrations. These are laboratory cancer-cell endpoints, not studies of cannabis or consumer benefit. Sources: Health Benefits, Pharmacological Effects, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential of α-Bisabolol
What the evidence does not show
Cell-culture findings do not establish an effect in people, clinical usefulness, or a safe/effective consumer dose. No direct human cannabis-product effect evidence was identified.
What does its presence in cannabis mean?
A report of bisabolol in cannabis identifies a constituent; it does not establish a floral aroma or show that the isolated cell-study result applies to the product.