A compound formed when a sugar molecule bonds to another molecule (usually a protein or lipid), commonly found in plants and used in medicines.
From 'glyco-' (sugar) + '-side' (from Greek 'eidos', form or side). Named in the 1800s as chemists discovered these sugar-containing compounds in plants like digitalis (foxglove).
Digitalis glycosides from foxglower plants have been used to treat hearts for centuries—and it's still one of our most powerful heart medicines, all because a sugar got stuck to the right molecule!
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