Coumarin Guide

Coumarin is a chemical compound (specifically, a benzopyrone) found in many plants, notably in high concentration in the tonka bean (Dipteryx odorata), vanilla grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), woodruff (Galium odoratum), mullein (Verbascum spp.), and sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata). The name comes from a French word, coumarou, for the tonka bean. It has a sweet scent, readily recognised as the scent of newly-mown hay, and has been used in perfumes since 1882.

Although coumarin has no anticoagulant activity, it is transformed to the natural anticoagulant dicoumarol by a number of species of fungi. This proceeds through production of 4-hydroxycoumarin, then further (in the presence of naturally occurring formaldehyde) into the actual anticoagulant dicoumarol, a fermentation product and mycotoxin.[1]

Coumarin is used in the pharmaceutical industry as a precursor molecule in the synthesis of a number of synthetic anticoagulant pharmaceuticals similar to dicoumarol, notably warfarin (which has a common and confusing brand name Coumadin) and some even more potent rodenticides that work by the same anticoagulant mechanism. See 4-hydroxycoumarin for a discussion and listing of this class of drugs.

Coumarin has clinical medical value by itself, as an edema modifier. Coumarin and other benzopyrones, such as 5,6 benzopyrone, 1,2 benzopyrone, diosmin and others are known to stimulate macrophages to degrade extracellular albumen, allowing faster resorption of edematous fluids.[2][3]

Coumarin is also used as a gain medium in some dye lasers.[4][5][6]...