Notholaenic acid

Notholaenic acid is a dihydrostilbenoid found in the farina of some ferns of the genus Argyrochosma.
The compound was originally purified from the waxy frond exudate of Notholaena limitanea and Notholaena dealbata. Subsequent analysis showed that only N. limitanea var. mexicana secretes notholaenic acid, while other taxa reported to produce it in fact secreted isonotholaenic acid.
Notholaenic acid has been shown to have anti-HSV-1 activity at high concentrations in vitro. It was artificially synthesized, starting from 3-benzyloxy-5-methoxybenzyl alcohol, in 1985.