alpha-Maaliene is a tricyclic sesquiterpene hydrocarbon that shows up in essential-oil analytics more often as a marker constituent than as a directly studied isolated active. Live sources strongly support its identity and CAS assignment, while the study literature located here centers on occurrence in cajuput, Nardostachys, Pluchea dioscoridis, and related volatile profiles. Because the public evidence is mostly compositional and chemotaxonomic, AromaForge should frame alpha-maaliene as a woody sesquiterpene reference point with limited direct mechanism or safety data, not as a validated therapeutic constituent.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem returns alpha-maaliene as CID 102361380 with formula C15H24, InChIKey OULROVQTHHSDPX-SFDCQRBFSA-N, and computed XLogP 4.6. PubChem also exposes a non-stereospecific entry under CID 12312615, reflecting some ambiguity in how databases index the exact stereochemical form. Within the local archive, Bengali nagarmotha lists alpha-maaliene at 2.51%, making it a meaningful secondary sesquiterpene rather than a trace contaminant.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, resinous, slightly smoky, resin descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- 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 2021 open-access Plants paper reported alpha-maaliene as the dominant compound in Pluchea dioscoridis essential oil at 18.84% and as a major compound in Erigeron bonariensis oil at 6.64%.
This is a strong current occurrence source showing that alpha-maaliene can be a major sesquiterpene in some oils rather than only a trace analyte.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2008 Journal of Natural Medicines study on Nardostachys rhizomes found that beta-maaliene and 9-aristolene served as GC markers distinguishing species, illustrating the broader taxonomic value of the maaliene/aristolene sesquiterpene cluster in aromatic plant analysis.
This does not study alpha-maaliene directly, but it supports the role of structurally close maaliene sesquiterpenes as chemotaxonomic markers in relevant plant materials.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
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 attachedNo constituent-specific clinical, toxicology, or formal fragrance-safety review for isolated alpha-maaliene was verified 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.
Because alpha-maaliene is a non-oxygenated sesquiterpene hydrocarbon with sparse direct safety literature, archive copy should avoid implying established safety or benefit beyond occurrence data.
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
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
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)
- No isolated alpha-maaliene pharmacology paper was verified in this pass.
- The strongest located evidence is compositional and chemotaxonomic rather than mechanistic or clinical.
- Constituent-specific safety review data remain sparse.
- A targeted 2026-07-13 search of Tisserand & Young Essential Oil Safety references, IFRA Standards, EU Cosmetics Regulation Annex III, and peer-reviewed toxicology literature found no authoritative constituent-specific dermal limit, phototoxicity, sensitization, or skin-penetration-enhancement data for isolated alpha-maaliene (CAS 489-28-1); the existing dermal_limit_pct/sensitizing/phototoxic values are unverified estimates and should not be treated as sourced.
- 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.