Heliotropine was discovered in 1869 by Fittig and Mielk who synthesised it and thus made the 'cherry pie' note of the heliotrope flower, for which it is named, available to perfumers for the first time - it was already in use in fragrances by the early 1880s.
The tree is of special concern, as it is being harvested at a high rate to obtain safrole, a precursor to the pesticide synergist piperonyl butoxide, the flavorant and fragrance piperonal, and the psychoactive drug MDMA.