Spathulenol is a tricyclic

sesquiterpene Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many unique combinations. Biochemical modificatio ...

alcohol which has a basic skeleton similar to the

azulene Azulene is an organic compound and an isomer of naphthalene. Naphthalene is colourless, whereas azulene is dark blue. Two terpenoids, vetivazulene (4,8-dimethyl-2-isopropylazulene) and guaiazulene (1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene), that feature ...

s. It occurs in

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial pla ...

among other plants.

History and occurrence

A volatile oil was extracted from waterwort distillery (''Artemisia vulgaris'') and

tarragon Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes. ...

(''Artemisia dracunculus''), from which the sesquiterpene alcohol spathulenol was isolated for the first time in 1975 as a colorless, viscous compound with an earth-aromatic odor and bitter-spicy taste.

References

{{biochemistry-stub Sesquiterpenes Herbal distillates