Isotenulin, C17H22O5, is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from sneezeweed Helenium amarum. It crystallizes with two independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. In each mol-ecule, two five-membered rings (cyclo-pentenone and lactone) are trans-fused to the central seven-membered ring. The five-membered rings each adopt envelope conformations. The seven-membered ring adopts a twist-chair conformation. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by C-H⋯O interactions, which generate a three-dimensional network.