Get to Know a Cannabis Terpene: Phytol

In 1909, German chemist Richard Wilstätter obtained the diterpenoid phytol by hydrolosis of chlorphyll (he shot water at it). This terpene has found a way to be useful to humans since then. Whether it’s being used to synthesize Vitamin E or K or as a fragrance in a host of commercial products, phytol has proven its worth. It’s also useful to insects — for the sumac flea beetle it’s a key contributor to their defenses against predation. In ruminants, phytol is liberated by the fermentation of chlorophyll in the gut before being converted into phytanic acid that is then stored in fats. While there are non-human primates that are able to derive phytol from hindgut fermentation, human sources of phytol ingestion are mainly dietary. Refsum Disease causes some people to limit their intake, as its symptoms that include hearing loss and ataxia are caused by an overaccumulation of phytanic acid and free phytol.

Phytol is often used as a diluent in some vaporizer cartridges, and was a key concern for consumers during the Vape Crisis of 2019 (which, since COVID, feels like it was about a decade ago). As a terpene, I’ve seen cannabis tests that claim both cis- and trans- Phytol are present in strains.

A teensy bit soluble in water (but mainly in alcohol), phytol has a delicate green, vegetal, floral scent and flavor. We humans dig it so much we can use up to a metric ton of it a year!

General Uses

As phytol has already found a wide array of uses, it’s no surprise that it can be featured in a lot of patent applications. As a terpene that smells nice and light, it should be of no surprise that it’s included in some scent patents. One describes A device to help speed up cannabis extraction. Another patent uses phytol as a stabilizer in a heat transfer composition. It’s included in patents for kits that detect certain cannabinoid production levels in plants. Like many other terpenes it can be found in trans-dermal delivery system patents. Due to its dietary import, it’s included in a food supplement application as well.

Medical Uses

A paper written by a group in scientists in 2018 called “Phytol: A review of biomedical activities” summarizes a wide variety of medical uses that bear investigation. It’s beautifully summarized in this sentence: Recent investigations with PYT demonstrated anxiolytic, metabolism-modulating, cytotoxic, antioxidant, autophagy- and apoptosis-inducing, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and antimicrobial effects.” These scientists spent quite a bit of time examining phytol and its medicinal usefulness.

A 2014 paper concluded that phytol showed promise in treating anxiety. Another study found that phytol had an impact on the metabolism of sheep. Phytol supplementation was found to have an anti-oxidant effect in carp. Another study concluded that phytol has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and hepatoprotective activity in rat models. Phytol derivatives were found to be effective immune boosters in a 2011 study.

In Cannabis

Cannabis strains that include phytol are strains like Purple Hindu Kush, Sour Diesel, M.A.C., and Lemon Kush. As with any cannabis product, it’s really important to have terpene information available to know if the product you are purchasing includes phytol.

Other Info

Boiling Point: 396°F

Other Sources: jasmine, cardamom, betel leaf, flax, coriander.

Scents: jasmine, green, light, floral, vegetal, balsalmic

Flavors: jasmine, green, light, floral, vegetal, waxy

Article Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytanic_acid

www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1002361.html#tooccur

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027869151830588X?via%3Dihub

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FPL00001800

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027869151830588X?via%3Dihub

Originally published at https://oregoncannabisgazette.com.