Described herein is a new synthetic route to pseudopterosin aglycone (3), a key intermediate for thesynthesis of a group of antiinflammatory natural products including pseudopterosin A (1) and E (2). Thepathway of synthesis starts with the abundant and inexpensive (S)-(-)-limonene and its long-known cyclichydroboration product (4) and leads to the chiral hydroxy ketone 6. Conversion of 6 to 10 followed by a novelaromatic annulation produced 15 which underwent a highly diastereoselective cyclization to afford the protectedpseudopterosin aglycone 16. The naturally occurring pseudopterosins such as 1 and 2 are readily availablefrom this key intermediate.