Rotundene is a Cyperus-associated sesquiterpene hydrocarbon best documented as a recurring constituent of nagarmotha and Cyperus rotundus oils. Public evidence supports its chemical identity, stereochemical characterization, and repeated occurrence across Cyperus oils, but isolated rotundene pharmacology and human safety data remain sparse. For AromaForge, it is best presented as a sesquiterpene identity marker with thin constituent-specific bioactivity evidence rather than as an effects-driven ingredient.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists rotundene as CID 25203405 with formula C15H24. A 2001 Phytochemistry paper derived the absolute configuration of (-)-rotundene by chemical correlation and enantioselective gas chromatography, which is unusually specific identity support for a relatively obscure sesquiterpene. In the archive's nagarmotha records, rotundene sits inside a cyperene/cyperotundone-rich sesquiterpene envelope rather than acting as the dominant constituent.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, earthy, dry, spicy 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 2001 Phytochemistry study on Cyperus rotundus essential oil reported that the absolute configuration of (-)-rotundene was established by chemical correlation and enantioselective gas chromatography.
A 2001 Phytochemistry study on Cyperus rotundus essential oil reported that the absolute configuration of (-)-rotundene was established by chemical correlation and enantioselective gas chromatography.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2008 Chemistry & Biodiversity study identified rotundene among the principal compounds comprising 62% of a Cyperus rotundus tuber oil that also showed antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic effects as a whole oil.
A 2008 Chemistry & Biodiversity study identified rotundene among the principal compounds comprising 62% of a Cyperus rotundus tuber oil that also showed antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic effects as a whole oil.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2025 comparative Indian nagarmotha study reported rotundene at 1.8-7.4% across twenty-six Cyperus scariosus rhizome oil samples, confirming it as a recurring secondary marker in commercial cypriol-type material.
A 2025 comparative Indian nagarmotha study reported rotundene at 1.8-7.4% across twenty-six Cyperus scariosus rhizome oil samples, confirming it as a recurring secondary marker in commercial cypriol-type material.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil 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.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No authoritative constituent-specific human safety monograph, dermal limit, or inhalation limit was located for isolated rotundene.
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 accessible bioactivity literature is dominated by whole-oil studies, consumer-facing copy should not attribute those effects directly to rotundene without direct constituent evidence.
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 (7)
- No isolated rotundene human data or modern constituent-specific safety assessment was found.
- Most pharmacology around Cyperus oils cannot be assigned confidently to rotundene because the testing was performed on multicomponent oils.
- Mechanism data for isolated rotundene were not verified in accessible primary sources during this pass.
- No IFRA, RIFM, Tisserand & Young, or EU Annex III dermal limit or sensitization determination was found for rotundene as of 2026-07-13 verification pass; the previous dermal_limit_pct value of 25 and sensitizing:true had no locatable citation and were corrected to null/false.
- Second-pass 2026-07-13 web search targeting CAS 65128-08-7 directly (RIFM fragrancematerialsafetyresource.elsevier.com lookup by CAS) again returned no rotundene-specific safety assessment; only unrelated RIFM PDFs for other CAS numbers surfaced. Negative result confirmed via a distinct search angle from the first pass; no further correction made.
- 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.