Chemistry of ayurvedic crude drugs—III: Guggulu (resin from Commiphora mukul)-3 long-chain aliphatic tetrols,a new class of naturally occurring lipids

Isolation and structure elucidation of two long-chain aliphatic tetrols, now formulated as octadecan-1,2,3,4-tetrol and eicosan-1,2,3,4-tetrol, from gum-resin of Commiphora mukul, is described. There is evidence for the occurrence of nonadecan-1,2,3,4-tetrol, as well, in the resin. This is the first reported occurrence of such compounds in nature, though the closely related phytosphingosines (e.g. 2-amino-octadecan-1,3,4-triol) are well known.