Pulegone
Minty, pungent — use with care
Terpene
What is pulegone?
Pulegone is a monoterpene ketone that dominates pennyroyal and shows up in some mints and catnip. Its aroma is minty and camphor-like — pungent, sharp, and distinctly 'mint family.'
Effects
Pulegone is a chemical relative of menthol and isopulegol, and it's used in small amounts for flavor and fragrance. The important caution: in large quantities pulegone is toxic — pennyroyal oil has a well-documented history of serious poisoning. In cannabis it's at most a trace contributor to minty profiles.
Research note
If you see pulegone on a COA, it's in tiny amounts — there's no cause for concern there, but it's worth knowing the compound's reputation. A 2014 study in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin found pulegone was aversive to mice and had anxiolytic-like effects at low doses but psychostimulant effects at higher ones — a reminder that minty doesn't mean harmless, and that dose shapes everything.
Conditions that cite this compound
These condition guides point here — they cover the same compound from the patient side.