It is a known anti-diabetic agent isolated from Sutherlandia frutescens leaves.

[6] Ciceritol is a pinitol digalactoside that can be isolated from seeds of chickpea, lentil and white lupin.

[7] A cyclitol derivative can be found in the marine sponge Petrosia sp.

[9] In Angiosperms, D-pinitol has a relatively straight forward and short biosynthesis which proceeds via the Loewus pathway.

Ononitol is epimerized to yield D-pinitol via a D-ononitol epimerase using NADPH as a cofactor.