Valerianol is an eremophilane-type sesquiterpene alcohol associated most strongly with valerian root oil but also reported in tea, agarwood, amyris, and other woody or root-derived aromatic materials. Compared with common fragrance terpenes, its evidence base is narrow and chemistry-led: the strongest source-grounded points are identity, biosynthesis, and repeated occurrence, while isolated pharmacology remains sparse. For AromaForge, valerianol is best described as a valerian-marker sesquiterpene alcohol with some early experimental signals and clear gaps in human, safety, and mechanism data.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists valerianol as C15H26O. The literature also uses the names kusunol, kusenol, and valeranol. A 2018 Scientific Reports paper clarified valerianol biosynthesis by identifying a valerianol synthase and also documented valerianol in green and black tea, while classic valerian-oil literature positions it as a recurring but variable root-oil constituent.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, earthy, soft balsamic, rooty 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 2018 Scientific Reports paper identified ChTPS1 as a valerianol synthase, reported this as the first gene shown to mediate valerianol biosynthesis, and also detected valerianol in green and black tea.
A 2018 Scientific Reports paper identified ChTPS1 as a valerianol synthase, reported this as the first gene shown to mediate valerianol biosynthesis, and also detected valerianol in green and black tea.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
The same open-access study reported that purified valerianol showed the strongest inhibitory activity among the tested sesquiterpenes in an in vitro EBV-EA tumor-promotion screening assay, with very weak cytotoxicity.
The same open-access study reported that purified valerianol showed the strongest inhibitory activity among the tested sesquiterpenes in an in vitro EBV-EA tumor-promotion screening assay, with very weak cytotoxicity.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
The 2018 paper also cites earlier work reporting antibacterial activity of valerianol-containing sesquiterpenes from Chinese agarwood against Staphylococcus aureus and Ralstonia solanacearum, but this was not re-evaluated directly in that study.
The 2018 paper also cites earlier work reporting antibacterial activity of valerianol-containing sesquiterpenes from Chinese agarwood against Staphylococcus aureus and Ralstonia solanacearum, but this was not re-evaluated directly in that study.
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 dedicated modern safety assessment, dermal limit, or human tolerability study specific to isolated valerianol 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 most verified literature concerns occurrence and biosynthesis rather than toxicology, any wellness-oriented copy should stay conservative and non-medical.
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
valerianol_synthase_biosynthesis
The best-supported mechanism-level finding is biochemical rather than therapeutic: ChTPS1 and a related tea-tree ortholog were shown to produce valerianol in engineered E. coli, establishing a direct biosynthetic route.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil 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 (5)
- Direct human clinical evidence for isolated valerianol was not verified.
- Most isolated-valerianol data located here concern biosynthesis, detection, or screening assays rather than validated functional pharmacology.
- Constituent-specific toxicology and exposure-limit data remain sparse in public sources.
- 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.