cleistanthins
cleistanthins
Any of the lignans with a 9-aryl-1-oxo-1,3-dihydronaphtho[2,3-c]furan-4-yl glycoside skeleton originally isolated from <em>Cleistanthus collinus</em>, a toxic deciduous shrub. While all parts of the plant are poisonous, the leaves in particular are used as a suicide poison by young women in rural parts of southern India. Cleistanthins A and B have been particularly associated with the toxicity of the plant, with cleistanthin A being more potent than cleistanthin B.