Used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, particularly in the development of bioactive molecules with antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. It serves as a chiral building block in organic synthesis, enabling the production of enantiomerically pure compounds. Its structural features make it valuable in research related to natural product derivatives, especially lignans and phenylpropanoids, which exhibit potential anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. Also employed in studies exploring metabolic pathways of plant-derived compounds due to its similarity to metabolites formed during the breakdown of dietary lignans.