Constituent · Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon
α-gurjunene
α-gurjunene is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon — a heavier, woody or spicy base-note compound that lingers longer than the light terpenes. Across our dataset it was measured in 20 oils (73 samples), concentrating most in Valerian, Vetiver, Geranium.
Essential oils richest in α-gurjunene
Measured relative composition (GC peak-area %) pooled across published GC-MS samples — median, typical range (middle 50%) and the maximum seen.
| Oil | Median | Typical range | Max | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerian | 5.72% | 5.72%–5.72% | 5.72% | 1 |
| Vetiver | 3.51% | 3.51%–3.51% | 3.51% | 1 |
| Geranium | 2.91% | 2.48%–3.96% | 6.56% | 14 |
| Tea tree | 2.23% | 1.49%–2.96% | 3.7% | 2 |
| Cypress | 2.01% | 2.01%–2.01% | 2.01% | 1 |
| Goldenrod | 1.85% | 0.63%–2.93% | 3% | 4 |
| Blue tansy | 1.7% | 1.7%–1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| Manuka | 1.19% | 1.19%–1.19% | 1.19% | 1 |
| Vitex | 0.77% | 0.77%–0.77% | 0.77% | 1 |
| Spike lavender | 0.56% | 0.5%–0.62% | 0.82% | 12 |
| Hyssop | 0.55% | 0.52%–0.6% | 0.61% | 11 |
| Eucalyptus globulus | 0.52% | 0.31%–0.73% | 0.94% | 2 |
| Sage | 0.34% | 0.23%–0.52% | 0.7% | 3 |
| Peppermint | 0.32% | 0.23%–0.41% | 0.5% | 2 |
| Citronella | 0.3% | 0.3%–0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| Niaouli | 0.17% | 0.17%–0.17% | 0.17% | 1 |
| Black pepper | 0.15% | 0.11%–0.19% | 0.24% | 6 |
| Spearmint | 0.12% | 0.11%–1.16% | 2.6% | 6 |
| Basil | 0.02% | 0.02%–0.02% | 0.02% | 2 |
| Dill | 0.02% | 0.02%–0.02% | 0.02% | 1 |
Oils in our library are linked above — open any profile for its full composition, safety panel and the research behind it.
Related constituents
Other sesquiterpene hydrocarbon compounds across the oils.
Figures are GC peak-area percentages pooled across published GC-MS samples, not concentrations, and describe chemistry — not health effects. How this is built →