Asarone is

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

of the

phenylpropanoid The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are synthesized by plants from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and the three-carbon propene tail of ...

class found in certain plants such as ''

Acorus ''Acorus'' is a genus of monocot flowering plants. This genus was once placed within the family Araceae (aroids), but more recent classifications place it in its own family Acoraceae and order Acorales, of which it is the sole genus of the oldes ...

'' and ''

Asarum ''Asarum'' is a genus of plants in the birthwort family Aristolochiaceae, commonly known as wild ginger. ''Asarum'' is the genitive plural of the Latin ''āsa'' (an alternate form of ''āra'') meaning altar or sanctuary. Description ''Asarum' ...

''. There are two

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. Iso ...

s, α (or ''trans'') and β (or ''cis''). As a volatile

fragrance oil Fragrance oils, also known as aroma oils, aromatic oils, and flavor oils, are blended synthetic aroma compounds or natural essential oils that are diluted with a carrier like propylene glycol, vegetable oil, or mineral oil. To allergic or otherwis ...

, it is used in killing pests and bacteria.

Pharmacology

The main clinical symptom of asarone is prolonged vomiting that sometimes lasted more than 15 hours. Asarone is not metabolized to

trimethoxyamphetamine Trimethoxyamphetamines (TMAs) are a family of isomeric psychedelic hallucinogenic drugs. There exist six different TMAs that differ only in the position of the three methoxy groups: TMA, TMA-2, TMA-3, TMA-4, TMA-5, and TMA-6. The TMAs are anal ...

as has been claimed by online vendors. The Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Flavouring Substances concluded that β-asarone is clearly

carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substan ...

ic and has proposed limits for its concentration in flavorings such as

bitters Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are ...

made from ''

Acorus calamus ''Acorus calamus'' (also called sweet flag, sway or muskrat root, among many common names) is a species of flowering plant with psychoactive chemicals. It is a tall wetland monocot of the family Acoraceae, in the genus ''Acorus.'' Although us ...

'' (sweet flag). β-Asarone exhibits anti-fungal activity by inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis in ''Aspergillus niger''. However, the toxicity and carcinogenicity of asarone means that it may be difficult to develop any practical medication based on it.

Notes and references

{{reflist Phenylpropenes O-methylated phenylpropanoids Plant toxins

Pharmacology

See also

Notes and references