A chemical compound found in frangula bark that acts as a purgative or laxative agent.
From frangula with the chemical suffix -in added, similar to how other plant-derived chemicals are named (like quinine from quinoa). The suffix -in is commonly used in chemistry to denote alkaloids and organic compounds isolated from natural sources.
Frangulin is a glycoside that's inactive until your gut bacteria break it down—so it's a clever example of how plants created compounds that only become active deep in the digestive system where they're needed, a strategy that evolved to prevent the plant from poisoning itself.
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