A chemical compound or alkaloid found in plants of the genus Helenium, or a bitter substance extracted from elecampane (inulin).
Derived from 'Helenium,' a plant genus named after Helen of Troy in classical mythology. The '-in' suffix indicates a chemical compound, alkaloid, or active ingredient extracted from the plant.
Medieval herbalists literally named a plant after Helen of Troy and then extracted a bitter compound from it—somehow a mythological beauty got a plant with a medicinal chemical component named after her!
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