Compound Monograph
Coumarin
Coumarin is a fragrant plant lactone with a sweet, hay-like scent, found in cinnamon, tonka bean and many grasses.
Classification
Coumarin is a benzopyrone (lactone), part of the phenolics class. Antioxidant compounds built around one or more phenol rings — the flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, coumarins, and pigments behind much of a plant's protective chemistry.
Where Does It Come From? (9)
Coumarin is a naturally occurring benzopyrone (lactone), found in Cinnamon, Tonka bean, Sweet woodruff and 6 other sources. It is flagged as moderately toxic.
Research & Evidence
Coumarin is a fragrant benzopyrone with a sweet, vanilla-and-new-mown-hay aroma, found in tonka bean, cinnamon (particularly cassia), sweet woodruff and many grasses. It is widely used in perfumery for its scent. Despite the similar name it is distinct from the anticoagulant “coumarins” such as warfarin, though it is structurally related to that family. Because of its effects on the liver, the addition of coumarin to food is restricted in many countries.
Toxicity & Safety
Coumarin can cause liver toxicity at high or prolonged exposures in sensitive individuals, which is why its use as a direct food additive is restricted and why intake from cassia cinnamon is a recognised consideration for heavy consumers. At the small levels found in most foods and fragrances it is generally tolerated, but it is not regarded as harmless in large amounts.