Dedicated to Prof. Gordon Gribble on the occasion of his retirement and for his outstanding contributions to science and mentoring of students.Received 12-23-2017 Accepted 02-17-2018 Published on line 03-04-2018 AbstractLignans are a class of compounds found in plants, especially fiber-rich foods such as flax seeds, whole grains, berries and vegetables. A diet rich in lignans is believed to be protective against cancer, inflammation, viral infection, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. Enterolactone, a mammalian lignan, has been investigated extensively due to its potential therapeutic properties. A variety of approaches to synthesize enterolactone have been reported. This account summarizes some of the biological studies and reported syntheses of enterolactone found in literature.