Lippia dulcis Hemandulcin

The first Mexican substance searched for, found, and isolated based on old traditions, was the sesquiterpene hemandulcin from Lippia dulcis Trev. It was determined by a human taste panel to be more than 1000 times sweeter than sucrose. The structure of this sesquiterpene was determined and confirmed by chemical synthesis. It was nontoxic when administered orally to mice, and did not induce bacterial mutation.5 Further work has been carried out with some of the plants more frequently used (Table 12.3). The sesquiterpene alkaloids hippocrateine I, hippocrateine II, and emarginatine were identified in Hippocratea excelsa used in Mexican traditional medicine, and antimicrobial abietane type diterpenes were isolated from Salvia albocaerulea.6 7... 

Sauerwein, M., Flores, H.M., Yamazaki, T., and Shimomura, K. 1991. Lippia dulcis shoot cultures as a source of the sweet sesquiterpene hemandulcin. Plant Cell Rep., 9 663-666. 

The sesquiteipene hemandulcin (83) from Lippia dulcis (Verbenaceae), a plant used as a sweetener by the Aztecs, is more than 1000 times sweeter than sucrose (Compadre et al., 1985, 1987). 

Hemandulcin is a sweet sesquiterpene from Lippia dulcis Trev. (Verhenaceae), with the structure 6-( 1,5-dimethyl-1 -hydroxy-hex-4-enyl)... 

Sweet sesquiterpenoids (-F)-hernandulcin, 6-(1,5-dimethyl-1-hydroxyhex-4-en-l-yl)-3-methylcyclohexen-2-one, and (-F)-4P-hydroxyhernandulcin (11-35) occur at a level of about 0.04% in the sweet herb Phyla dtdds (syn. Lippia dulcis, Verbenaceae) native to tropical Central and South America. Leaves with the sweet taste (hemandulcin is about 1250 times sweeter than saccharose) are used in traditional medicine. Because of its slightly bitter taste and minty after-taste, hemandulcin has only limited use as a sweetener. 

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