Ocimene is a sweet, herbal-smelling terpene found in basil, many flowers, hemp and cannabis. Chemically it is a monoterpene with the formula C₁₀H₁₆, and β-ocimene is the most common form. Plants use it to attract pollinators and to signal insect attack; research on what it does in people is very limited.
Key facts
- Chemical class
- Acyclic monoterpene, C₁₀H₁₆; main forms (E)-β-ocimene and (Z)-β-ocimene
- Smell
- Sweet and herbal, with green and woody notes
- Found in
- Basil, the flowers and leaves of many plants, hemp and cannabis
- Role in plants
- Pollinator attraction and defence signalling
- In hemp
- One of the most abundant monoterpenes in the hemp variety Finola
- Research in people (as of October 2026)
- Very limited
What is ocimene?
Ocimene is a terpene, one of the aromatic compounds that give plants their smell. It is a monoterpene, built from two five-carbon units, with the formula C₁₀H₁₆ (PubChem). Unlike limonene or pinene, it has no ring: its carbon chain is open. The two common forms are (E)-β-ocimene and (Z)-β-ocimene, which differ in the shape around one double bond. For terpenes in general, see what are terpenes?
β-Ocimene is one of the most widespread plant scent compounds. A 2017 review found it in the floral scent of species from most plant families, often in large amounts (Farré-Armengol et al., 2017).
Is ocimene in hemp and cannabis?
Yes. In flowers of the hemp variety Finola, (E)-β-ocimene was one of the most abundant monoterpenes, alongside myrcene, α-pinene, limonene, β-pinene and terpinolene. The same study identified the cannabis enzymes that make (E)-β-ocimene and (Z)-β-ocimene (Booth et al., 2017). Terpene profiles varied a lot between individual plants of the same variety.
Which strains are high in ocimene?
Lists of "ocimene-rich strains" circulate online, but they are rarely backed by published analyses. Researchers have raised concern about how inconsistent the terpene and cannabinoid composition of named cannabis "strains" can be (Booth and Bohlmann, 2019), and plants of one variety can differ widely (Booth et al., 2017). If you want to know how much ocimene a product contains, look for a terpene analysis of that batch rather than relying on the strain name.
What does ocimene smell like?
Ocimene is usually described as sweet and herbal, with green and woody notes. In a study of nine basil species, trans-β-ocimene was one of the volatile compounds that varied most between species, and it was linked to the clove-like smell of some basils (Du et al., 2023).
| Terpene | Class | Typical smell |
|---|---|---|
| Ocimene | Acyclic monoterpene (no ring) | Sweet, herbal, green |
| Myrcene | Acyclic monoterpene (no ring) | Earthy, musky |
| Limonene | Monoterpene with one ring | Citrus |
What does ocimene do in plants?
Ocimene has two known jobs in plants:
- Attracting pollinators: its wide presence in floral scents suggests it is a general attractant for many pollinators, although direct behavioural tests are still missing (Farré-Armengol et al., 2017).
- Defence signalling: many plants release more β-ocimene from their leaves after insects feed on them (Farré-Armengol et al., 2017). In Arabidopsis, exposure to β-ocimene strengthened defences against caterpillars for about five days, through changes in how defence genes were switched on (Onosato et al., 2022).
Does ocimene have an effect in people?
There is very little research on ocimene in people. It is sometimes cited as part of the entourage effect, the idea that terpenes change how cannabinoids act. A 2020 study of five common cannabis terpenes found no direct effect on the CB1 or CB2 receptors, alone or combined with THC or CBD (Finlay et al., 2020). Ocimene was not among the five, so the question remains open for it, but there is no evidence that it changes how cannabinoids work.
Is there ocimene in CBD oil?
Hemp extracts that keep the plant's terpenes can contain ocimene; isolates and terpene-free extracts don't. How much depends on the hemp variety and on processing. Our guide full spectrum vs broad spectrum vs isolate explains which extracts keep terpenes, and our oils are in the CBD oil collection.
From our production
We keep the hemp's natural terpenes in our oils. Many people underestimate terpenes and assume only the cannabinoids matter.
— Robin Roy Krigslund-Hansen, co-founder and CEO
Frequently asked questions
What is ocimene?
Ocimene is a monoterpene (C₁₀H₁₆) with a sweet, herbal smell. β-Ocimene is one of the most common scent compounds released by flowers and leaves, and it occurs in basil, hemp and cannabis.
Which cannabis strains are high in ocimene?
There is no reliable list. Lab analyses show that ocimene can be a major terpene in some plants, but terpene profiles vary between individual plants and strain names are not a consistent guide. A terpene analysis of the actual batch is the only way to know.
What does ocimene smell like?
It is usually described as sweet and herbal, with green and woody notes. In basil, trans-β-ocimene was one of the compounds linked to a clove-like smell.
What does ocimene do in plants?
It helps attract pollinators to flowers, and plants release more of it after insects feed on them. In lab tests, β-ocimene from damaged plants primed defence responses in neighbouring plants.
Does ocimene get you high?
No. Ocimene is a terpene, not a cannabinoid, and a 2020 receptor study found that common cannabis terpenes do not act directly on the CB1 or CB2 receptors.
Is there ocimene in CBD oil?
Hemp extracts that keep the plant's terpenes can contain ocimene; CBD isolates do not. The amount depends on the hemp variety and on processing.
Related guides
This article summarises published research. It is not medical advice. Formula Swiss CBD oils are sold as cosmetics for use on the skin, and our pet oils are for external use. They are not food supplements or medicines and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. See our full disclaimer.
Last reviewed:
Sources
- PubChem. Ocimene (CID 6434062). National Library of Medicine. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6434062
- Farré-Armengol G, Filella I, Llusià J, Peñuelas J. β-Ocimene, a key floral and foliar volatile involved in multiple interactions between plants and other organisms. Molecules. 2017;22(7):1148. doi:10.3390/molecules22071148
- Booth JK, Page JE, Bohlmann J. Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0173911. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0173911
- Booth JK, Bohlmann J. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Sci. 2019;284:67-72. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.03.022
- Du, Yuan, Chen, et al. Identification of key aromatic compounds in basil (Ocimum L.) using sensory evaluation, metabolomics and volatilomics analysis. Metabolites. 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9865694/
- Onosato H, Fujimoto G, Higami T, et al. Sustained defense response via volatile signaling and its epigenetic transcriptional regulation. Plant Physiol. 2022;189(2):922-933. doi:10.1093/plphys/kiac077
- Finlay DB, Sircombe KJ, Nimick M, et al. Terpenoids from cannabis do not mediate an entourage effect by acting at cannabinoid receptors. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:359. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.00359
