(Z)-3-Butylidenephthalide is a phthalide found in lovage- and Ligusticum-type roots and oils, where it contributes to the sharp green-celery profile associated with those materials. Public evidence is strongest for identity, occurrence in lovage or osha-type roots, and a small preclinical literature around enzyme inhibition and insect repellency or toxicity. AromaForge should present it as a phthalide chemistry marker with early bioactivity signals and incomplete standalone safety coverage, not as a clinically validated active.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide as CID 642376 with formula C12H12O2 and IUPAC name (3Z)-3-butylidene-2-benzofuran-1-one. PubChem synonym data supports CAS 72917-31-8 for the Z isomer, while mixed-isomer industry entries often use the broader CAS 551-08-6 for butylidenephthalide. In the AromaForge archive, the lovage root oil record places the Z isomer at 2.24% in a phthalide-rich root-oil profile.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded celery-like, herbal, green, rooty, herbaceous descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A 2010 Journal of Natural Products paper reported (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide from Ligusticum porteri as an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor after hypoglycemic activity was observed for a root extract in normal and diabetic mice.
This is the strongest constituent-specific pharmacology lead found for the Z isomer, but it remains preclinical and should not be translated into a medical claim.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2024 MDPI study found that (E/Z)-3-butylidenephthalide suppressed digging behavior in imported fire ants and showed LC50 values of 11 and 16.4 micrograms per gram against red and black imported fire ants, respectively.
The paper studies a mixed isomer preparation rather than the purified Z isomer alone, so it is useful but indirect evidence for constituent bioactivity.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
The AromaForge lovage root record anchors (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide at 2.24% in a root oil dominated by ligustilide and other phthalides.
This directly establishes archive relevance even though it is occurrence evidence rather than a pharmacology study.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
The Good Scents entry for 3-butylidene phthalide surfaces older SDS-style warnings including harmful if swallowed and advice to avoid skin and eye contact, but this appears to apply to the broader material listing rather than a modern isomer-specific toxicology review.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
FEMA lists 3-butylidenephthalide with FEMA number 3333 and points to a flavor safety assessment for lactones, which gives some regulatory food-use context but does not substitute for a topical or inhalation safety dossier on the Z isomer.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
Because the clearest bioactivity data are enzyme and pest-model studies, archive copy should avoid implying established human metabolic, neurologic, or analgesic effects for isolated (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
Constituents it may interact with
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
alpha_glucosidase_inhibition
PubMed and ACS metadata identify (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide from Ligusticum porteri as an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, which is the clearest isolated-compound mechanism signal located in this pass.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (5)
- No human clinical literature specific to isolated (Z)-3-butylidenephthalide was verified in this pass.
- A modern constituent-specific topical or inhalation safety monograph for the Z isomer was not located in the reviewed public sources.
- Some accessible safety and occurrence sources pool cis/trans or E/Z materials together, which limits certainty when describing the isolated Z isomer.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.