Diprenyl disulphide: Aroma, Smell and Safety | PatientsCann UK Skip to main content Back to Sulphur Compounds Guide SDPDS Diprenyl disulphide di-prenyl disulphide pronounced: dy-PREN-il dy-SUL-fide Like diprenyl sulphide, but with two sulphur atoms. Deep, garlicky and long-lasting. Garlic & savouryFormula: C10H18S2Very potent Aroma familyGarlic FormulaC10H18S2 Mass202.38 g/mol Main noteGarlic Diprenyl disulphide · 202.38 g/mol The molecule Chemical structure This is the accurate skeletal structure of Diprenyl disulphide, drawn from PubChem data. Each corner and line-end is a carbon atom. The yellow S marks sulphur, the atom that gives this whole family its powerful smell. GarlicOnionySavouryAlliaceous About What is Diprenyl disulphide? Diprenyl disulphide is like diprenyl sulphide but with two sulphur atoms joined together in the middle. That extra sulphur makes the smell deeper and longer-lasting. It is a near mirror of diallyl disulphide, one of the most studied smell molecules in garlic. The main difference is the prenyl group in place of garlic’s allyl group. What the research says The Science Diallyl disulphide from garlic has been looked at for possible effects on blood pressure and blood vessels. The close match with diprenyl disulphide is what makes the cannabis-and-garlic comparison so striking. It is important to be clear: looking alike is not the same as acting alike. This stays a hopeful research direction, not a health claim. Aroma snapshot How Diprenyl disulphide Smells Garlic & savoury family GarlicOnionySavouryAlliaceous Smell strength: Very potent Deep and long-lasting; the double sulphur bond makes it cling. You might also smell it in: Cooked garlic and onion, which are rich in these two-sulphur “disulphide” smells. Its role in the smell Part of the Whole Adds a deep, clingy, savoury base note to the aroma. Two-sulphur compounds like this one tend to linger longer than lighter smells. Good to know A Note on Safety Diprenyl disulphide is an aroma compound, present in cannabis in trace amounts. It is not a medicine and has no dose of its own. What matters for you is the whole product and how it is prescribed. Always choose and adjust your medicine with your prescriber and pharmacist, never by smell alone. Questions Diprenyl disulphide: Common Questions What is the garlic molecule it copies? Diallyl disulphide. Garlic’s version uses an allyl group; the cannabis version uses a prenyl group. Otherwise they are built the same way, with two sulphur atoms in the middle. Is this why some cannabis smells strongly of garlic? Two-sulphur compounds like this one are deep and clingy. When a plant makes more of them, its savoury, garlicky side becomes easier to notice. PreviousDiprenyl sulphide NextPrenyl methyl sulphide Back to full Sulphur Compounds Guide Important: This page is for education only. It is not medical advice. Research into cannabis sulphur compounds is very new, and most work so far is about smell, not treatment. The garlic comparison is about chemistry, not proven health effects. Always speak to your prescriber before changing your treatment. PatientsCann UK does not recommend any specific cannabis product. References Oswald, I.W.H., Ojeda, M.A., Pobanz, R.J., Koby, K.A., Buchanan, A.J., Del Rosso, J., Guzman, M.A. and Martin, T.J. (2021) ‘Identification of a new family of prenylated volatile sulfur compounds in cannabis revealed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography’, ACS Omega, 6(47), pp. 31667-31676. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04196. Amagase, H. (2006) ‘Clarifying the real bioactive constituents of garlic’, Journal of Nutrition, 136(3), pp. 716S-725S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.3.716S. Russo, E.B. (2011) ‘Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects’, British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), pp. 1344-1364. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x. National Center for Biotechnology Information (2025) PubChem Compound Database. Bethesda: U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Accessed: 3 August 2026).
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