Compound Monograph
Daucosterol
Daucosterol is the glucoside of beta-sitosterol (sitosterol 3-O-beta-D-glucoside; also called eleutheroside A or BSSG) — a ubiquitous, barely-absorbed phytosterol glycoside. Its evidence is thin and mostly preclinical or extrapolated from the aglycone; it is hydrolyzed to beta-sitosterol in the gut, so systemic exposure is minuscule. Notably, the identical molecule (BSSG) is used as an experimental neurotoxin in ALS-parkinsonism models.
Sources · 9
Where Does It Come From?
Daucosterol is a naturally occurring phytosterol glycoside, found in Cleavers, Kid Ginseng, Kratom and 6 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Principal source Cleavers Galium aparine Herb monograph → 
Source Cat's Claw Uncaria tomentosa Herb monograph → 
Source Catnip Nepeta cataria Herb monograph → 
Source Kid Ginseng Pseudostellaria heterophylla Herb monograph → 
Source Kratom Mitragyna speciosa Herb monograph → 
Source Stevia Stevia rebaudiana Herb monograph → 
Source Suma Pfaffia paniculata Herb monograph → Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Daucosterol at a Glance
Daucosterol is the glucoside of beta-sitosterol — sitosterol with a sugar attached, also known as eleutheroside A and found across almost the entire plant kingdom.
Like its parent it is barely absorbed, and its evidence is thin and largely extrapolated from beta-sitosterol rather than generated for the glycoside itself.
What It's Used For
Daucosterol is the glucoside of beta-sitosterol (sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucoside; also known as eleutheroside A or BSSG) — distinct from the aglycone stigmasterol. Like all phytosterols it is essentially unabsorbed: steryl glycosides survive to the colon, are hydrolyzed to free sitosterol, and even that is absorbed only at the phytosterol class rate — so systemic exposure to intact daucosterol is minuscule, and the cholesterol/BPH story belongs to beta-sitosterol, not here. Almost every “daucosterol” activity is extract-level or extrapolated from the aglycone. The one genuinely daucosterol-specific point that sets it apart is double-edged: the identical molecule (as BSSG) is the isolated experimental neurotoxin chronically fed to rodents in ALS-parkinsonism-dementia models.
Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. No human isolate data and near-zero absorption, so scores stay low by design.
Daucosterol (with beta-sitosterol) isolated from the Galium aparine petroleum-ether fraction was anti-proliferative against K562 chronic-myeloid-leukemia cells 1Reference 1Separation, purification and in-vitro anti-proliferative activity (K562) of Galium aparineView study →.
Gap: in-vitro only, modest potency, no isolate animal tumor model and no human data — and in the source paper the strongest fraction activity was traced to a plasticizer contaminant (dibutyl phthalate), not daucosterol. Essentially a class-level phytosterol signal 1Reference 1Separation, purification and in-vitro anti-proliferative activity (K562) of Galium aparineView study →.
Daucosterol promoted neural-stem-cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo 2Reference 2Daucosterol promotes the proliferation of neural stem cellsView study → and protected neurons against oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion injury via IGF1-receptor signaling 3Reference 3Daucosterol protects neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury by activating IGF1 signallingView study →.
Gap: these are the exact non-kratom studies from which kratom’s “neural stem-cell regeneration” claims were extrapolated — preclinical acute-injury paradigms, directly contradicted in chronic paradigms by the BSSG neurotoxicity data (see Toxicity): the same molecule is neuro-regenerative acutely and neurotoxic chronically 2,
Mechanisms
| Target / pathway | Effect | Relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Tumor-cell proliferation (K562) | anti-proliferative in vitro | anticancer (class-level) |
| IGF-1 receptor signaling | activated → neuroprotection vs OGD/reperfusion | neuroprotection (acute) |
| Neural stem-cell proliferation | promoted (preclinical) | neuro-regeneration |
| Intestinal β-glucosidase | hydrolyzed to beta-sitosterol → aglycone effects | pharmacokinetics / class effect |
| Chronic isolated BSSG: A1 astrocyte reactivity, mitochondrial complex-I, α-synuclein | neurotoxic in ALS-parkinsonism models | toxicity |
Cholesterol-absorption inhibition and 5α-reductase/BPH mechanisms are not re-argued here — they belong to the aglycone beta-sitosterol.
Pharmacokinetics
Load-bearing. As a phytosterol glucoside, daucosterol is essentially non-absorbed: steryl glycosides survive to the colon and are hydrolyzed by gut β-glucosidases to free sterol (beta-sitosterol), which is itself absorbed only at the phytosterol class rate (~0.5–2% of dose, far below cholesterol) 7Reference 7Effects of processing on availability of total plant sterols, steryl ferulates and steryl glycosidesView study →. Net systemic exposure to intact daucosterol is minuscule, and whatever reaches circulation is effectively sitosterol. This near-zero absorption is the caveat under everything: every systemic preclinical effect implies a route or dose not achieved by oral dietary intake — mirroring the beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol pages.
Clinical trials
There are no human trials of isolated daucosterol for any indication. The human phytosterol cholesterol/BPH evidence is for sterol mixtures dominated by the aglycone and lives on the beta-sitosterol page; it is not evidence for this glucoside.
| Completed | Planned | Terminated | Preclinical |
|---|---|---|---|
| —(none, isolate) | — | — | Thin |
Last checked: July 2026.
Toxicity & Safety
Eating daucosterol in plants is unremarkable, but the isolated molecule is the same compound (BSSG) used to induce neurodegeneration in animal models — which is a strong argument against taking it concentrated as a supplement.
- Ordinary dietary intake is low-toxicity. A normal, ubiquitous, poorly-absorbed component of edible plants.
- The isolate is an experimental neurotoxin. Chronic BSSG dosing in rodents and zebrafish produces progressive motor deficits, α-synuclein pathology and mitochondrial dysfunction.
- Avoid concentrated supplements in pregnancy and lactation. No safety data, and a documented neurotoxin at isolated exposure.
- The “neuroprotective” marketing is undercut. It rests on acute-injury studies that the chronic neurotoxicity work contradicts.
- Kratom claims are extrapolated. The Th1-induction and neural-stem-cell claims come from non-kratom sources and are unproven for kratom.
Full Safety & Interactions Detail
As a dietary phytosterol glucoside, ordinary intake is regarded as low-toxicity — daucosterol is a normal, ubiquitous, poorly-absorbed component of edible plants. The important double-edged caveat (its real point of difference from beta-sitosterol/stigmasterol): daucosterol is BSSG (β-sitosterol β-D-glucoside), the isolated compound chronically administered to rodents and zebrafish in models of ALS-parkinsonism-dementia complex, where it produces progressive motor/behavioral deficits, neurotoxic A1 astrocyte reactivity, mitochondrial complex-I dysfunction, α-synuclein pathology and intestinal inflammation 4,
Those studies use chronic, isolated, high exposure (from the cycad ALS-PDC hypothesis) and do not indict trace dietary intake — but they are a strong argument against consuming isolated/concentrated daucosterol as a supplement, and they undercut naïve “neuroprotective/neuro-regenerative” marketing built on the acute-injury studies. (Kratom note: the older Th1-induction and neural-stem-cell claims attached to kratom’s daucosterol are extrapolated from non-kratom sources and are unproven for kratom.)
Dosage
There is no established human dose for the isolate, and it is not recommended as a standalone supplement. Any figures in the literature are preclinical research doses (rodent/in-vitro), not a human recommendation. Where phytosterol dosing is meaningful it is the sterol-mixture cholesterol regimen, which belongs to the class — see beta-sitosterol.
References
- Shi H, et al. (2016). Separation, purification and in-vitro anti-proliferative activity (K562) of Galium aparine. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27275108/
- Jiang L, et al. (2014). Daucosterol promotes the proliferation of neural stem cells. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24333794/
- Jiang L, et al. (2015). Daucosterol protects neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury by activating IGF1 signalling. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25864625/
- Luna-Herrera C, Martínez-Dávila IA, Soto-Rojas LO, et al. (2020). Intranigral administration of β-sitosterol-β-D-glucoside elicits neurotoxic A1 astrocyte reactivity and parkinsonism. Journal of Immunology Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33282962/
- Bigelow LJ, Perry MA, Ogilvie SL, et al. (2022). Longitudinal assessment of behaviour and biomarkers following chronic consumption of β-sitosterol-β-D-glucoside (BSSG). Frontiers in Neuroscience. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35281495/
- Morales-Martínez A, Martínez-Gómez PA, Martinez-Fong D, et al. (2022). Oxidative stress and mitochondrial complex-I dysfunction in an α-synuclein BSSG neurodegeneration model. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36232716/
- Nyström L, Lampi AM, Rita H, et al. (2007). Effects of processing on availability of total plant sterols, steryl ferulates and steryl glycosides. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17907772/
- Terrin F, Faggin S, Bizzotto E, et al. (2026). β-Sitosterol β-D-glucoside (BSSG) triggers intestinal inflammation in zebrafish and mouse models. Journal of Biomedical Science. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42082968/
