09/10/2021
Pyrazines are a chemical class commonly associated with the smell of bell peppers. They produce very powerful aromas and have - you guessed it - been identified in Cannabis...pollen! And not just any Cannabis pollen, the Cannabis pollen of the classic Cannabis cultivar, Northern Lights.
Unfortunately pyrazines have received very little attention in Cannabis research thus far. Here is what the authors of this study had to say about the pyrazines they found in the pollen of Northern Lights...
"The two pyrazines (39 and 54) occurring in considerable quantities, 0.84%and 1.25%, respectively, were found exclusively in the female plant of Nl. They are very likely an alkyl pyrazine and a methoxy pyrazine, tentatively identified as 3,5-dimethyl-2-propylpyrazine and 2-methoxy-3-(1-methylethyl)pyrazine, respectively. The definitive determination of their chemical identity requires further study. The alkylmethoxypyrazines have a phenomenally low olfactory threshold (0.002 p.p.b.) and produce one of the most powerful odours known to man. The possible function of pyrazine in Cannabis and its possible influence on man is, at present, unknown. It would be of interest to investigate the possible effect of their presence on the action of T.H.C. (tetrahydrocannabinol), C.B.D. (cannabidiol) and CB (cannabinol)."
Have you ever smelled bell peppers in your Cannabis pollen???
Special thanks to for prompting the thought process that led to this post!