sesquiterpene lacto…wha?

Arnica belongs to the Asteraceae (Aster-Ay-See-Eye) family of plants that are more simply recognized as the sunflower family. Some of the more well known species of this genus include the sunflower, daisy, chicory, ragweed, zinnia, thistle, lettuce, chamomile and dandelion.

Aside from their distinct sun burst flower pattern , this family carries with it very cool characteristics that play a significant role in human health and plant survivability. Today, I want to introduce to you a compound called: sesquiterpene (ses-qu-tur-peen) lactone.

Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are the most potent, prevalent and biologically significant compound within the class of secondary metabolites. If you are lost keep reading , I will try and make it a bit more digestible:

SLs are compounds that can function simultaneously in more than one way. For instance, they can be both a prolific healer and a fierce protector at the same time. Take for instance this terrific word picture: the dandelion

In our yards, we fight the varying diseases of blight, mildew, fungus and the annoying grub throughout the growing season. But, interestingly enough we see the dandelion is having little to any difficulty. Much to our annoyance, this plant makes it known that it has the ability to fend off disease and propagate astonishingly well in its environment, all thanks to the compound sesquiterpene lactone.

You may be asking; if this is true, why don’t we make Dandelion Salve instead of Arnica Salve?

The answer is simply mind blowing and will be covered in our next post. (stay tuned)