Taraxacin

From Dandelion; bitter principle

Solvents: water, good; alcohol, excellent; glycerin, fair to good; vinegar, poor; oil, excellent

Taraxacin is a bitter-tasting guaianolide with the molecular formula C₁₅H₁₄O₃. It's isolated from the plant Taraxacum officinale, also known as the common dandelion. Taraxacin has diuretic properties.

Taraxacin is a form of flavonoid that creates an osmotic diuretic effect. It's mostly found in the leaves of the plant.

Taraxacin was obtained as a yellow powder that formed crystals in methanol. The formula C15H14O3 was determined through HREIMS (M+m/z 242.0946, calcd 242.0942), indicating nine degrees of unsaturation.

The earliest known use of the noun taraxacin is in the 1850s. The OED's earliest evidence for taraxacin is from 1858, in the writing of Robert Hogg.