Last reviewed November 12, 2026
Nerolidol is a terpene with a faint woody, floral scent, and flavour references add a hint of rose and apple. It’s found in jasmine flowers, ginger, tea and more than 20 other plants, and it’s a common ingredient in perfume and shampoo. In cannabis it’s a minor terpene, and almost no research has looked at it in people.
| Aroma | Faint woody-floral, a hint of rose and apple |
|---|---|
| Also found in | Jasmine, ginger, oolong tea, cardamom, yarrow |
| Forms | Two geometric isomers, cis and trans |
| Often described in cannabis as | Floral, with citrus and rose notes |
| Everyday uses | Perfume, shampoo, detergent, food flavouring |
What research says
Nerolidol has a long list of lab and animal studies behind it. A 2016 review that gathered them concluded that clinical studies in people would be the next step. As of November 12, 2026, PubMed tags only two records mentioning nerolidol as trials: one in poultry, and one testing a head lice lotion with nerolidol added. Neither tells you anything about nerolidol in cannabis.
Terpenes don’t get you high: THC does. And no single terpene reliably predicts how a strain will feel; the whole mix of cannabinoids and terpenes, your dose and your tolerance all play a part.
Tasting nerolidol
Nerolidol is a heavy terpene. It boils at about 275 °C, roughly 100 degrees above limonene, so expect it under the lighter, brighter terpenes rather than in the first taste. A 2025 study of steam-distilled hemp oil named it a major contributor to the oil’s floral note.
Cannabis can make nerolidol with the same enzymes that make linalool, the lavender terpene. A 2019 study of cannabis genes described two enzymes that produce both, so a floral strain may owe that note to either one, or to both. Outside cannabis, a 2022 study of an oolong tea counted (E)-nerolidol among the tea’s key odorants and classed it as floral.
Why the amount varies
Lab reports don’t all count nerolidol the same way. A 2022 study that pooled lab results from six US states found some labs report cis- and trans-nerolidol separately while others give one total. Check which one you’re reading before comparing two reports.
How the terpenes are pulled from the plant changes the result too. In the 2025 hemp oil study, nerolidol made up 0.71% of the oil collected in the first five minutes of distillation and 1.55% of the oil collected between 160 and 200 minutes, from the same batch of plants. Genetics, growing conditions, curing and storage add their own swings on top of that.
Common questions
What does nerolidol smell like?
Faintly woody and floral. Flavour references add a hint of rose and apple.
What are cis- and trans-nerolidol?
They’re two geometric isomers, with the same atoms arranged differently around one double bond. A lab report may list them separately or as one total.
Does nerolidol get you high?
No. Nerolidol isn’t intoxicating, and THC is what causes the high.
Where else is nerolidol found?
Jasmine, ginger, tea, cardamom seeds and yarrow flowers are among the more than 20 plant sources listed in a 2016 review. Perfumers and food makers use it as well.
