10α‐Cucurbita‐5,24‐dien‐3β‐ol from gourd seed oil

Abstract 10α‐Cucurbita‐5,24‐dien‐3β‐ol was isolated from the unsaponifiable matter of the seed oil of gourd ( Lagenaria leucantha var. Gourda ; Cucurbitaceae); it has been previously synthesized, but never found in the plant kingdom. The triterpene alcohol represents the parent compound of a number of cucurbitacins, highly oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenes found in Cucurbitaceae and some other flowering plants.