By Steven Voser

Borneol is one of several terpenes that insects and parasites hate. The aroma given off is part of the cannabis plant’s natural defense against predators and pests. Humans, on the other hand, are usually quite attracted to these unique scents.

Borneol naturally occurs in ginger, rosemary, sage, camphor, marjoram, thyme, mugwort, and other plants. It’s a bicyclic monoterpene shaped as thin, opaque, whitish crystals with a minty, balsam aroma. Its oxidation generates the substance commonly known as camphor, which can itself be extracted from plants like camphor laurel and used as a source of borneol. Before diving deep into the recent research findings on borneol and its promising future, you might want to read this article for a quick overview on cannabis terpenes and their effects on the body.

FROM TRADITIONAL MEDICINE TO LAB RESEARCH

Asian cultures have known the possible applications of borneol for thousands of years, and the substance is fundamental in traditional Chinese medicine. Borneol is still used today to relieve certain kinds of pain, facilitate digestion, improve blood circulation, and even to help treat respiratory diseases. Its refreshing action is used for fever reduction and other cooling purposes. In Asia, this substance is also used as a preventative treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Borneol is a common ingredient in cosmetics, insect repellents, and essential oils. Science has recently started to confirm many of the ancient beliefs surrounding borneol’s therapeutic efficacy, thanks to its anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, anticoagulant, and anaesthetic properties.

POTENTIAL MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Borneol is one of the natural compounds most shown to reduce inflammation in gingivitis[1] lab models, while as a topical pain reliever[2], it exhibits advantages over menthol. As an anticoagulant[3], it displays a synergistic effect with edaravone in a rat model of ischemic stroke. Edaravone is a molecule used to help individuals recover from stroke and to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Another study from 2008 suggests the antithrombotic[4] effect of borneol, indicating a possible preventive action on blood clots and cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke.

Borneol

One study shows that borneol acts on rats as a central and peripheral antinociceptive[5], reducing induced pain and inflammation. Research on cell cultures indicates that borneol can affect the activity of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which are involved in the regulation of nerve-muscle communication and inflammatory processes. The inhibition of nAChRs-mediated chemical effects by borneol might result in a local anaesthetic effect[6].

Research is also starting to evaluate the neuroprotective and antioxidant[7] properties of this terpene. Cell degradation was inhibited by a borneol treatment that protected a SH-SY5Y cell line against induced toxicity, exerting an antioxidant effect and suppressing apoptosis. The SH-SY5Y cell line is used to study characteristics of human brain cells, and the results of this study increase knowledge on the neuroprotective mechanism of borneol, as well as its potential in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Finally, a study published in PLoS One shows borneol strongly increases apoptosis[8] in human liver carcinoma cells induced by the novel anticancer compound selenocysteine. As a result, this terpene could become a candidate as a chemosensitizer of selenocysteine in human cancer treatments. All these studies are conducted on cell lines or rats, and much more research is needed by conventional medicine before even thinking about clinical trials.

BORNEOL IN CANNABIS

Small amounts of borneol naturally contained in cannabis and other herbs are completely safe, while pure borneol can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Pure borneol is also harmful if swallowed. Studies show borneol increases the bioavailability of other active compounds and improves the transportation of substances toward brain cells. Borneol also plays into the synergistic phenomenon of the “entourage effect" along with other terpenes, cannabinoids, and more. This is where borneol’s effects in cannabis likely make themselves known.

However, borneol is not one of the primary cannabis terpenes, and it does not occur frequently in significant amounts. Some of borneol’s beneficial properties and flavors can also be found in other terpenes, yet it is good to know that OG Kush is one strain that might contain this terpene. This particular strain is not a traditional Kush variety because it has more sativa characteristics, and the flowers developed from this genetic line are known for their fresh lemon and pine scent. After picking and germinating the right seeds for your taste and needs, you might want to increase the amount of terpenes in your garden, right? Here are a few tips for maximising the terpene content of your cannabis plants.

External Resources:
  1. Identification of 1,8-cineole, Borneol, Camphor, and Thujone as Anti-Inflammatory Compounds in a Salvia Officinalis L. Infusion Using Human Gingival Fibroblasts - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. A Clinical and Mechanistic Study of Topical Borneol-Induced Analgesia - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. The synergetic effect of edaravone and borneol in the rat model of ischemic stroke - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com
  4. The Antithrombotic Effect of Borneol Related to Its Anticoagulant Property - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/808460/abs/
  6. Inhibition of Acetylcholine-Mediated Effects by Borneol - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13880209.2012.700718
  8. Natural Borneol, a Monoterpenoid Compound, Potentiates Selenocystine-Induced Apoptosis in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Enhancement of Cellular Uptake and Activation of ROS-Mediated DNA Damage https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: