Thujone is a ketone and a monoterpene that occurs predominantly in two diastereomeric (epimeric) forms: (−)-α-thujone and (+)-β-thujone.
Artemisia is a large, diverse genus of plants belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae, with between 200 and 400 species. Common names for various species in the genus include mugwort, wormwood, and sagebrush.
Artemisia vulgaris, the common mugwort, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. It is also occasionally known as riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, naughty man, old man, or St. John's plant. Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.
Artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort or annual wormwood, is a common type of wormwood native to temperate Asia, but naturalized in many countries including scattered parts of North America.
Artemisia absinthium, otherwise known as common wormwood, is a species of Artemisia native to North Africa and temperate regions of Eurasia, and widely naturalized in Canada and the northern United States. It is grown as an ornamental plant and is used as an ingredient in the spirit absinthe and some other alcoholic beverages.
Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are a class of sesquiterpenoids that contain a lactone ring. They are most often found in plants of the family Asteraceae. Other plant families with SLs are Umbelliferae and Magnoliaceae (magnolias). A collection of colorless, lipophilic solids, SLs are a rich source of drugs. They can be allergenic and toxic in grazing livestock causing severe neurological problems in horses. Some are also found in corals such as Maasella edwardsi.
Santonin is a drug which was widely used in the past as an anthelminthic. It is an organic compound consisting of colorless flat prisms, turning slightly yellow from the action of light and soluble in alcohol, chloroform and boiling water.
Nerolidol, also known as peruviol and penetrol, is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alcohol. A colorless liquid, it is found in the essential oils of many types of plants and flowers. There are four isomers of nerolidol', which differ in the geometry about the central double bond and configuration of the hydroxyl-bearing carbon, but most applications use such a mixture. The aroma of nerolidol is woody and reminiscent of fresh bark. It is used as a flavoring agent and in perfumery as well as in non-cosmetic products such as detergents and cleansers. Nerolidyl derivatives include nerolidyl diphosphate and the fragrance nerolidyl acetate.
Patchoulol or patchouli alcohol (C15H26O) is a sesquiterpene alcohol found in patchouli. Patchouli oil is an important material in perfumery. The (−)-optical isomer is one of the organic compounds responsible for the typical patchouli scent. Patchoulol is also used in the synthesis of the chemotherapy drug Taxol.
Artemisia californica, also known as California sagebrush, is a species of western North American shrub in the sunflower family.
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 modifications such as oxidation or rearrangement produce the related sesquiterpenoids. A recent study conducted in the Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets large cloud chamber at CERN, has identified sesquiterpenes—gaseous hydrocarbons that are released by plants—as potentially playing a major role in cloud formation in relatively pristine regions of the atmosphere.
Germacrenes are a class of volatile organic hydrocarbons, specifically, sesquiterpenes. Germacrenes are typically produced in a number of plant species for their antimicrobial and insecticidal properties, though they also play a role as insect pheromones. Two prominent molecules are germacrene A and germacrene D.
The enzyme amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) catalyzes the chemical reaction
Artemisia alaskana, the Alaskan sagebrush or Alaskan wormwood or Siberian wormwood, is a North American species of plants in the sunflower family. It is found in British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska. Some authors have considered it as a subspecies as the Russian species A. kruhsiana.
Artemisia pallens, dhavanam from the Sanskrit name दमनक (damanaka),(Tamil: மரிக்கொழுந்து, தவணம், Marathi: दवणा, Kannada: ದವನ), is an aromatic herb, In genus of small herbs or shrubs, xerophytic In nature. The flowers are racemose panicles, bear numerous small yellow flower heads or capitula, but the silvery white silky covering of down gives the foliage a grey or white appearance.
Absinthin is a naturally produced triterpene lactone from the plant Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood). It constitutes one of the most bitter chemical agents responsible for absinthe's distinct taste. The compound shows biological activity and has shown promise as an anti-inflammatory agent, and should not be confused with thujone, a neurotoxin also found in Artemisia absinthium.
Chamazulene is an aromatic chemical compound with the molecular formula C14H16 found in a variety of plants including in chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). It is a blue-violet derivative of azulene which is biosynthesized from the sesquiterpene matricin.
Artemisia herba-alba, the white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the genus Artemisia that grows commonly on the dry steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa, Western Asia and Southwestern Europe. It is used as an antiseptic and antispasmodic in herbal medicine.
Amorpha-4,11-diene 12-monooxygenase (EC 1.14.13.158, CYP71AV1) is an enzyme with systematic name amorpha-4,11-diene,NADPH:oxygen oxidoreductase (12-hydroxylating). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Arglabin is a sesquiterpene lactone belonging to the guaianolide subclass bearing a 5,7,5-tricyclic ring system which is known to inhibit farnesyl transferase. It is characterized by an epoxide on the cycloheptane as well as an exocyclic methylene group that is conjugated with the carbonyl of the lactone. Arglabin is extracted from Artemisia glabella, a species of wormwood, found in the Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan. Arglabin and its derivatives are biologically active and demonstrate promising antitumor activity and cytoxocity against varying tumor cell lines.
