Alpha-Pinene
Alpha-pinene (with its isomer beta-pinene) gives conifers their pine scent. Preclinical studies report anti-inflammatory and anxiety-reducing effects.
What people report
- Anxiety- and depression-reducing effects in rodent studies (Weston-Green et al., 2021)
- Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in preclinical research (Salehi et al., 2019)
- Improved sleep in mice via the benzodiazepine site of GABA-A receptors; clinical trials are lacking
Reported associations, not proven effects. Most research on alpha-pinene comes from lab and animal studies, and the amounts in cannabis are small. How a strain feels depends on its whole profile, the dose and the person.
About alpha-pinene
Pinene comes in two natural isomers, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, and both smell like what their name suggests: pine needles and resin. They are the main components of conifer extracts and turpentine, and Leafly notes that pinene also occurs in rosemary and many other herbs. A 2021 review in Frontiers in Psychiatry lists frankincense, mastic, myrtle, juniper and camphor among plants rich in alpha-pinene. In cannabis testing platforms such as Leafly, the two are usually reported together simply as "pinene"; it ranks second in Blue Dream, AK-47, Maui Wowie and Charlotte's Web, and leads Big Bud.
That 2021 review, by Weston-Green and colleagues, concluded that pinene and linalool are promising candidates for research into anxiety, depression, pain, sleep and cognitive decline, but that the evidence is mostly preclinical and well-designed clinical trials are lacking. Rodent studies report anxiety- and depression-reducing effects, and pinene has been shown to improve sleep in mice by acting on GABA-A receptors. A 2019 review in Biomolecules adds antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and gastroprotective activity. In a 2021 mouse study published in Scientific Reports, beta-pinene produced cannabinoid-like behaviors.
PubChem lists alpha-pinene's boiling point at about 155–156 °C and beta-pinene's at about 163–166 °C.
Strains where alpha-pinene leads · 0
Dominant terpene, most popular first
No strain in the guide lists alpha-pinene as its dominant terpene yet.
Also present in · 27
As a secondary or minor terpene
- hybridWhite WidowTHC 15–25%
- hybridJack HererTHC 15–24%
- hybridBlue DreamTHC 17–24%
- hybridGranddaddy PurpleTHC 17–23%
- hybridAK-47THC 13–21.5%
- hybridSkunk #1THC 15–20%
- sativaHazeTHC 14–23%
- indicaAfghan KushTHC 15–21%
- indicaHindu KushTHC 18–20%
- hybridBlueberryTHC 16–24%
- hybridTrainwreckTHC 17–25%
- hybridPineapple ExpressTHC 20–25%
- hybridGreen CrackTHC 15–25%
- sativaMaui WowieTHC 19–20%
- hybridStrawberry CoughTHC 15–20%
- hybridHarlequinTHC 4–7%
- hybridACDCTHC 1%
- hybridCharlotte's WebTHC 0.3–1%
- hybridCannatonicTHC 4–8%
- indicaNorthern LightsTHC 16–21%
- sativaDurban PoisonTHC 15–25%
- hybridSour DieselTHC 19–22%
- hybridOG KushTHC 18–25%
- sativaPurple HazeTHC 16–20%
- hybridAmnesia HazeTHC 19–24%
- hybridChemdawgTHC 18–24%
- hybridWhite RuntzTHC 18–24%
Sources
- Weston-Green K et al. (2021), A review of the potential use of pinene and linalool as terpene-based medicines for brain health, Frontiers in Psychiatry · checked Sep 2026
- Salehi B et al. (2019), Therapeutic potential of α- and β-pinene: a miracle gift of nature, Biomolecules · checked Sep 2026
- PubChem — alpha-Pinene (CID 6654) · checked Sep 2026
- PubChem — beta-Pinene (CID 14896) · checked Sep 2026
- Wikipedia — Pinene · checked Sep 2026
- LaVigne JE et al. (2021), Cannabis sativa terpenes are cannabimimetic and selectively enhance cannabinoid activity, Scientific Reports · checked Sep 2026
- Leafly — strain pages, terpene descriptors (e.g. Jack Herer) · checked Sep 2026