Guaiol Research

Guaiol, pronounced "gweye-all" and sometimes referred to as champacol, is a sesquiterpene that, in isolation, delivers an aroma dominated by pine, often with heavy notes of rose and wood. This terpene is also commonly used as an insect repellant.

It has demonstrated a range of medicinal efficacies, influencing anti-inflammatory properties, anticancer efficacy, and even antiparasitic qualities. A 2018 study found the terpene to also possess the ability to decrease pain (analgesia): "Guaiol was only found in modest quantities...but could also be a compound with significant antianalgesic activity."

A 2018 study entitled "Guaiol Regulates Autophagic Cell Death" that was published in journal Cancer Biology & Therapy investigated the potential medicinal efficacy of guaiol for a particular type of lung cancer (Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, or NSCLC).

The research revealed that this terpene combats this type of lung cancer via multiple mechanisms, including apoptosis. The study also noted that "guaiol induces autophagic cell death to inhibit the proliferation and survival of NSCLC [cancer] cells."

The study's authors concluded that guaiol "inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells"...and provides a better therapeutic option than traditional drugs "in treating NSCLC patients."

A 2018 study entitled "The In Vitro Antileishmanial Activity of Essential Oil from Aloysia Gratissima and Guaiol, Its Major Sesquiterpene Against Leishmania Amazonensis" that was published in the journal Parasitology explored the ability of guaiol and one of the plant oils that naturally produces it to effectively treat a tropical disease caused by protozoa called Leishmaniases.

The study found that both the oil and guaiol, specifically, were able to kill cancer cells via various mechanisms. While some cannabinoids and terpenes act on diseased and cancerous via an indirect mechanism, guaiol combats Leishmaniases directly.

Concluded the study's authors, "Together, these results pointed out that AgEO and guaiol could be promising candidates to develop anti-Leishmania drugs."