Borneol

Borneol is a chemical name first

Borneol is a terpene alcohol found in essential oils. The word identifies a compound; it does not identify a cannabis product, a dose or an expected patient response. A report should retain any isomer or analytical detail supplied by the laboratory.

The published experiment used rats and rat cells

In the primary study, borneol was administered to rats and primary rat hepatocytes were then examined after experimentally induced oxidative DNA damage. The reported protection belongs to those rat and ex vivo cell models. No people used medical cannabis in the experiment, and the preparation was not a labelled cannabis product.

One source is useful for provenance only

A secondary Marijuana Grower’s Handbook reference for the term borneol helps explain where the name appears in the plant-chemistry material. It is not evidence for efficacy, safety or equivalence between a handbook entry and a prescribed product.

How to read the label line

“Borneol” on a certificate of analysis is a reported constituent under that laboratory’s method. It does not establish the amount present, the precise compound distinguished by the assay or a human effect. The NHS medical-cannabis information and Home Office factsheet provide the product context, while the cited study remains rat and cell research.

Related conditions

• Chronic pain
• Arthritis and joint pain

Sources

• Borneol and oxidative DNA damage in primary rat hepatocytes (primary animal and ex vivo cell study, PMID 22544524, DOI 10.1093/mutage/ges023).