Constituent · Oxygenated sesquiterpene
τ-cadinol
τ-cadinol is an oxygenated sesquiterpene — a heavy, tenacious woody or earthy compound. Across our dataset it was measured in 23 oils (106 samples), concentrating most in Cedarwood, Basil, Lavender.
Essential oils richest in τ-cadinol
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarwood | 7.05% | 6.48%–7.63% | 8.2% | 2 |
| Basil | 4.8% | 4.05%–6.25% | 10.2% | 12 |
| Lavender | 2.8% | 1.72%–5.62% | 23.09% | 12 |
| Myrrh | 2.22% | 1.21%–3.93% | 7% | 4 |
| Spike lavender | 2.19% | 2.03%–2.36% | 2.96% | 12 |
| Rosemary | 1.95% | 1.01%–2.9% | 3.84% | 2 |
| Marjoram | 1.47% | 0.83%–2.23% | 2.61% | 8 |
| Helichrysum | 1.44% | 1.35%–1.46% | 1.48% | 3 |
| Peppermint | 1.05% | 0.95%–1.16% | 1.26% | 2 |
| Sage | 0.9% | 0.85%–1.15% | 1.4% | 3 |
| Ylang ylang | 0.89% | 0.74%–1.35% | 1.74% | 14 |
| Yarrow | 0.66% | 0.66%–0.66% | 0.66% | 1 |
| German chamomile | 0.65% | 0.58%–0.73% | 0.8% | 2 |
| Tea tree | 0.45% | 0.45%–0.45% | 0.45% | 1 |
| Pine | 0.42% | 0.2%–0.65% | 1.2% | 15 |
| Citronella | 0.29% | 0.29%–0.29% | 0.29% | 1 |
| Jasmine | 0.28% | 0.28%–0.28% | 0.28% | 1 |
| Ravintsara | 0.2% | 0.2%–0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| Thyme | 0.2% | 0.1%–0.4% | 1.28% | 5 |
| Geranium | 0.1% | 0.1%–0.1% | 0.1% | 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 oxygenated sesquiterpene 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 →