Inositol

Inositol or cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol is a chemical compound with formula C6H12O6 or (-CHOH-)6, a derivative of cyclohexane with six hydroxyl groups, making it a polyol (multiple alcohol). It exists in nine possible stereoisomers, of which cis-1,2,3,5-trans-4,6-cyclohexanehexol, or myo-inositol (former names meso-inositol or i-inositol), is the most widely occurring form in nature.[2][3] Inositol is a sugar alcohol with half the sweetnessof sucrose (table sugar).

Inositol is a carbohydrate and it tastes sweet but the sweetness is far less than common sugar (sucrose). Inositol is a word used in dietary supplements whereas myo-inositol is the preferred name. Myo-inositol is highly utilized in the structural foundation of secondary messengers and eukaryotic cells. Inositol is also an important component of structural lipids and its various phosphates (PI and PPI).