Alkamides

Alkamides are a class of natural products that contain a mostly unsaturated straight chained aliphatic acid with amines through a amide linkage. The class contains over 300 know derivatives from eight plant families.

The class of compounds is associated with a wide range of biological activities. The most studied properties include insecticidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic.

Two popular traditional medicines, Echinacea and Acmella oleracea produce alkamides. The two most abundant in Echinacaea are Kalecide and Dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-Tetraenoic Acid Isobutylamide. The primary alkamide from Acmella oleracea is Spilanthol.