Category: Natural products

Although arnica has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to treat various ailments, many people are confused by specific product labels, such as the claim of "arnica 35 mg". In reality, a standard oral dosage of 35 mg does not exist; this number most often refers to a product's percentage concentration in a topical cream or gel.

The discovery of rapamycin reads like a true scientific odyssey, starting with a 1964 Canadian medical expedition to a remote island. **Is there a natural source of rapamycin?** Yes, this potent and versatile macrolide compound is naturally produced by the soil-dwelling bacterium *Streptomyces hygroscopicus*, which was famously isolated from a soil sample taken from Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui. From this natural origin, rapamycin has become a cornerstone of modern medicine, with applications spanning immunosuppression, cancer therapy, and longevity research.

First isolated from the liver extracts of the spiny dogfish shark, *Squalus acanthias*, in the early 2000s, trodusquemine is a naturally occurring aminosterol investigated for its therapeutic potential in metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. What are the natural sources of trodusquemine and how has this unique compound made the journey from a marine organism to a subject of modern medical research?