Temporin
Elephant temporal gland secretion / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about elephant temporal gland secretion. For peptides from frogs, see Temporins.
In elephants, temporin is secreted by temporal glands during the period of musth. It contains proteins, lipids (notably cholesterol), phenols, cresols and sesquiterpenes (notably farnesol and its derivatives).[1] This is not related to temporins that are antimicrobial peptides.
In old Sanskrit texts, it is referred to as rut fluid (dāna, or mada) and is considered to be a symbol of potency and vigour.[2]
However, from the point of view of ancient Indian elephant science (gajaśāstra), temporin is not a direct symptom of rut.[3]