1'-hydroxysafrole
1-hydroxysafrole.png

This is a minor metabolite of safrole.[1] This compound is not an alkaloid and is believed to have no psychedelic action in man.

According to one study the P450 enzymes CYP2C9 and CYP2E1, and to a lesser degree CYP2A6 and CYP2D6, play a role in oxidizing the allylbenzene safrole into 1'-hydroxysafrole.[1] However, this study failed to test for 3'-hydroxysafrole.

Oilahuasca Theory

The Oilahuasca theory states that this safrole metabolite is inactive. However, the theory also states that CYP2C9 should be capable of creating 3'-hydroxysafrole as well as 1'-hydroxysafrole from safrole in vivo. According to theory 3'-hydroxysafrole should be capable of condensing with piperidine, dimethylamine, or pyrrolidine forming an active psychedelic alkaloid. See the article on 3'-hydroxysafrole for more details.

Chemical Properties

PubChem Compound ID: 21268
Molecular Weight: 178.1846 [g/mol]
Molecular Formula: C10H10O3
XLogP3: 1.9
IUPAC Name: 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)prop-2-en-1-ol
InChI: InChI=1S/C10H10O3/c1-2-8(11)7-3-4-9-10(5-7)13-6-12-9/h2-5,8,11H,1,6H2
InChIKey: VVBJNJFYBCLUAH-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Canonical SMILES : C=CC(C1=CC2=C(C=C1)OCO2)O

Bibliography
1. Safety evaluation of certain food additives; Prepared by the Sixty-ninth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); World Health Organization, Geneva, 2009; ISBN: 978-92-4-166060-0 (This document is attached to this page. See the files link at the bottom of this page.)
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