(+)-4β-Hydroxyhernandulcin, A New Sweet Sesquiterpene from the Leaves and Flowers of Lippia dulcis

From the leaves and flowers of Lippia dulcis collected in Panama, a new sweet sesquiterpene identified as (+)-4-beta-hydroxyhernandulcin [2] was isolated, accompanied by (+)-hernandulcin [1], (-)-epihernandulcin [3] (a novel natural product), and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one [4]. Acteoside (verbascoside) [51, a known bitter phenylpropanoid glycoside, was isolated from the flowers of L. dulcis. The structure of (+)-4-beta-hydroxyhernandulcin was established by interpretation of its spectral data.