Khusimol is a zizaane-type sesquiterpene alcohol and one of the most recurrent marker constituents in vetiver root oil. The evidence base is strongest for identity, repeated occurrence across Indian, Haitian, Java, and Madagascar-style vetiver materials, and a smaller constituent-level literature touching receptor binding, biosynthetic context, and limited antimicrobial testing. For AromaForge, the safest positioning is that khusimol is a chemistry-first vetiver signature molecule with sparse but real preclinical signals rather than a clinically established active.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves khusimol as CID 167519 with formula C15H24O and synonyms including tricyclovetivenol. NIST also indexes khusimol and notes the same formula while mapping a related same-structure entry to valerianol/khusunol, which is useful for synonym awareness but does not change the archive's vetiver-centered naming. Local oil data consistently place khusimol among the larger quantified vetiver peaks, often in the high single digits to mid-teens and sometimes higher in literature tables.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, earthy, vetiver-like, dry 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 1994 Journal of Natural Products paper reported that khusimol competitively inhibited vasopressin binding at rat liver V1a receptors, making it one of the clearer isolated-molecule mechanistic papers for a vetiver constituent.
A 1994 Journal of Natural Products paper reported that khusimol competitively inhibited vasopressin binding at rat liver V1a receptors, making it one of the clearer isolated-molecule mechanistic papers for a vetiver constituent.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2014 full-text Acta Pharmaceutica study isolated khusimol from Vetiveria zizanioides roots and reported that khusimol was only slightly or weakly active against the tested microorganisms, while some root extracts showed broader antimicrobial effects.
A 2014 full-text Acta Pharmaceutica study isolated khusimol from Vetiveria zizanioides roots and reported that khusimol was only slightly or weakly active against the tested microorganisms, while some root extracts showed broader antimicrobial effects.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2012 PubMed-indexed vetiver composition paper identified khusimol among the compounds considered important to characteristic vetiver odor and quantified a khusimol-containing peak group at 16.1-19.2% across four south Indian oils.
A 2012 PubMed-indexed vetiver composition paper identified khusimol among the compounds considered important to characteristic vetiver odor and quantified a khusimol-containing peak group at 16.1-19.2% across four south Indian oils.
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.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No constituent-specific IFRA restriction, dermal maximum, or human clinical tolerability study for isolated khusimol was verified in the reviewed sources.
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 the strongest accessible findings are receptor-binding, biosynthetic, and in-vitro antimicrobial studies, archive copy should avoid implying proven human calming, vascular, or anti-infective effects from isolated khusimol.
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.
How the effects were investigated
vasopressin v1a receptor binding
A 1994 Journal of Natural Products study identified khusimol as a competitive ligand at rat liver vasopressin V1a receptors, providing a direct but older receptor-level mechanistic signal.
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.
zizaene pathway context
Biotechnology and enzyme-characterization papers describe (+)-zizaene as the direct precursor of khusimol and characterize zizaene synthase from Chrysopogon zizanioides, supporting a defined biosynthetic route for the vetiver skeleton.
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.
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 human clinical studies specific to isolated khusimol were verified in this pass.
- Accessible safety literature is much weaker than the occurrence and chemistry literature.
- Most broader biological claims around vetiver remain mixture-level and should not be over-attributed to khusimol alone.
- Targeted web search for an IFRA/Tisserand/EU Annex III dermal limit specific to khusimol (CAS 16223-63-5) returned no authoritative dermal-limit percentage (2026-07-13). The only constituent-specific hazard source found (AERU BPDB) is a pesticide-risk database with internally contradictory sensitization/irritation flags (table says 'no problem' but CLP classification lists H315/H317), so it was not used to set dermal_limit_verified:true. The previously stored dermal_limit_pct (20) had no supporting citation and has been corrected to null.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.