CONSTITUENT REPORT
elemicin
Elemicin is a trimethoxy allylbenzene found in elemi, parsley seed, nutmeg, mace, and other aromatic materials. Compared with many lesser-known aroma constituents, its evidence base is relatively developed: identity and occurrence are clear, antimicrobial signals exist, and multiple toxicology papers discuss metabolic activation, genotoxicity, and liver-focused risk. That stronger toxicology literature means the safest archive framing is cautious and evidence-tiered rather than broadly therapeutic.
Chemical identity and composition
NIST identifies elemicin as C12H16O3 with CAS 487-11-6, and PubChem classifies it among naturally occurring allylbenzene or phenylpropanoid-type compounds. In the AromaForge archive it is especially relevant to parsley seed, elemi, and mace records, where it acts as a warm spicy aromatic minor-to-secondary component rather than the dominant terpene backbone.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded spicy, warm, floral, sweet descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A 2019 mechanistic toxicology study found that elemicin was transformed to 1'-hydroxyelemicin and that N-acetylcysteine attenuated elemicin-related HepG2 cytotoxicity, implicating reactive metabolite formation.
The abstract specifically names CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP3A4 in the metabolic activation pathway.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A separate 2019 study reported that metabolic activation of elemicin led to stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 inhibition in liver, suggesting a route toward hepatotoxicity.
This finding supports cautious safety framing around repeated or high exposure.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2023 13-week rat study evaluated general toxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity-related signals for elemicin, underscoring that this constituent has moved into serious modern toxicology assessment.
The public abstract supports a higher-evidence safety discussion even though the full toxicological dataset was not fully extracted in this pass.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2007 paper identified elemicin among the antibacterial components of Daucus carota essential oil active against Campylobacter jejuni.
This is a useful constituent-level activity signal, but it remains laboratory rather than clinical evidence.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedElemicin belongs to the alkenylbenzene risk-discussion space and public reviews explicitly discuss genotoxic and carcinogenic potential uncertainties relative to better-characterized analogues.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
A 1994 UDS assay paper reported genotoxicity for elimicin in cultured rat hepatocytes, which is an older but still material safety signal.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
I did not verify a public aromatherapy-style dermal maximum for isolated elemicin in this pass.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
These are research candidates recorded in the interaction matrix. They do not add a proven-amplification bonus to the score.
MyristicinAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
in vitro · effect
No source citation attached.
Read Myristicin report →How the effects were investigated
CYP-mediated 1'-hydroxylation and reactive-metabolite formation
A metabolic-activation study reported conversion of elemicin to 1'-hydroxyelemicin and linked cytotoxicity to reactive metabolites, with CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP3A4 highlighted as important enzymes.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
inhibition of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 after metabolic activation
Mouse-liver work reported that metabolic activation of elemicin was associated with SCD1 inhibition and disturbed lipid metabolism.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (6)
- I did not verify human clinical benefit literature for isolated elemicin; the accessible record is dominated by toxicology and lab studies.
- A public constituent-specific dermal maximum for isolated elemicin was not confirmed in this pass.
- The long-term human relevance of current rodent and cell-model toxicity findings remains an active interpretation question, so claims should stay carefully evidence-tiered.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.
- Interaction candidates lack an attached source citation and remain unqualified.