Use Of Aromatic Plants Research Articles

Use of aromatic plants and essential oils in the teaching of physics and chemistry to enhance motivation and sustainability awareness among primary education trainee teachers

This work faces the known problem of negative visión among prospective primary teachers regarding science teaching and learning. This is even more acute if gender is taken into account. To overcome this, the use of ethnobotany as a science of proximity is proposed. Specifically, an educational intervention is described that is based on a combination of active methodologies and the use of ethnobotany as a teaching tool for a subject with physics and chemistry contents. Ninety-two university-based primary education trainee teachers participated in the research. By means of questionnaires, information was collected regarding attitudes toward the subject and the use of ethnobotany as a teaching tool, evaluation of the proposal, sustainability awareness, and affective and emotional dimensions. The data indicated a great impact and acceptability. The results show a significant increase in motivation, an improvement in attitudes toward sustainable behavior and a favorable assessment of the proposed didactic tool. This hybrid methodology demonstrates, in the context used, effectiveness in improving the perception of science.

A Review of Certain Plants (Aromatic Plants) on the Control of Mosquito

Mosquito-borne diseases pose significant public health challenges worldwide, necessitating effective control measures to mitigate disease transmission. Aromatic plants, with their natural repellent properties, have emerged as promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for mosquito control. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of the efficacy, mechanisms of action, and practical applications of certain aromatic plants in mosquito control. It examines the repellent properties of key aromatic plants such as citronella, lavender, lemon eucalyptus, peppermint, and neem, elucidating their chemical constituents and mechanisms of action against mosquitoes. Additionally, the review discusses the effectiveness, safety considerations, challenges, and limitations associated with the use of aromatic plants for mosquito control. By synthesizing existing literature and research findings, this review aims to inform policymakers, researchers, and practitioners about the potential of aromatic plants in integrated mosquito management strategies and their role in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly approaches to mosquito control.

Usage of spicy aromatic plants of the flora of Armenia in the national cuisine

Since ancient times, Armenians have used wild plants in their diet in both fresh and processed forms. Their gastronomic traditions, knowledge about useful plants, and methods of their application have been passed from generation to generation. In this review we analyse the species composition of plants that are used as spices in the national cuisine, how many there are, and what prospects there are for their use. Field surveys were conducted to collect ethnobotanical data of the use of aromatic plants in all of regions in Armenia during the years 2016–2022. 58 informants (42 women and 16 men) were interviewed after obtaining their prior informed oral consent. The informants included farmers, housewives and cooks engaged in preparing the national cuisine. All the informants participated voluntarily and shared their life experience, knowledge received from grandmothers and their professional skills. For the first time, a list of spicy plants of the flora of Armenia which were used in the preparation of national dishes is presented. Some species are no longer used, because classic spices are already available for sale, but some species of plants are still used today as a seasoning in national dishes. In the flora of Armenia there are 142 species of spicy aromatic plants belonging to 115 genera and 46 families. Studies have shown that the largest number of spicy-aromatic plants grow in Central and Southern Armenia (Armeno-Iranian floral province). On the basis of this rich plant resource, it is possible to organize the cultivation of organic spicy plants and spices in order to use them in various branches of the food industry. The recollected knowledge of our ancestors in the area of cheesemaking, winemaking, beermaking, combining centuries of experience with today's new technologies and use of spice plants can be used to develop the country's economy.

Repellency of Oregano (Lippia graveolens HBK): Against Periplaneta americana (Blattodea: Blattidae) from Durango, Mexico in Vitro

Background: The sewer cockroach is one of the important pests in the health sector due to the microorganisms they carry in their bodies, contaminate food, and mainly affect the respiratory tract. Most chemical insecticides applied to control this pest affect people’s health and in addition to the fact that cockroaches have already become resistant to many of these products. An environmentally friendly alternative in pest control is the use of aromatic plants. The repellency of residual oregano hydrosols from three municipalities of Durango was evaluated in this research. The control groups drank drinking water, and the test groups oregano hydrosols. Insect survival was monitored daily for four weeks. Results: The survival results were successful for the hydrosols of similar chemical composition from Mezquital and Nombre de Dios. These hydrosols additionally produced an insecticidal effect. The analysis of variance of the bioassays showed significant differences for a confidence interval of 95%. The results of the Kaplan-Miers survival analysis showed that oregano hydrosols with higher thymol content were more effective. Conclusions: Oregano hydrosols (Lippia graveolens HBK) contain mainly thymol, are effective in controlling Periplaneta americana, and could reduce insecticide contamination.

Sage and Lavender Essential Oils as Potential Antimicrobial Agents for Foods

Modern society is becoming more and more reluctant to use antibiotic or chemical compounds in food production and is demanding foods without what they perceive as artificial and harmful chemicals, including many used as antimicrobials and preservatives in food. Another big problem is the improper use of antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum ones, which has significantly contributed to increased antibiotic resistance in many microorganisms. As a consequence, the whole scientific world has recently concentrated numerous studies on the research of natural remedies capable of counteracting multidrug-resistant strains and fighting infections: the use of aromatic plants and their essential oils (EOs) as potential alternatives to conventional antimicrobials to extend shelf life and combat foodborne pathogens has heightened. Among EOs, sage and lavender have also been promoted for their potential antimicrobial capabilities. In this review, we summarize the latest research studies performed about sage and lavender EOs, focusing on their chemical composition and their biological and antimicrobial properties; the aim is to give an overview of the current knowledge about their major components, effectiveness, mechanisms of action, synergistic effects and use in foods to facilitate a widespread application in both food and pharmaceuticals industries.

An optimised design for transport noise pollution reduction in the children's area and recreation spots

Over the years, the issue of improving the urban environment remains relevant, especially in the design of children's playgrounds and recreation areas. In addition to the analysis of available vegetation and terrain conditions, the noise pollution of the environment should also be considered in order to take into account suitable measures for its reduction. The most effective ecological and aesthetic method is the establishment of plant barriers to reduce the noise discomfort. The aesthetically designed vegetative isolation barriers, in addition to the healing effect on the microclimate of the territory, also contribute to the visual aesthetics: bringing in decorative plant species that bloom, have spectacular foliage, have an interesting habit, or the delicate use of aromatic plants and those with phytoncide activity. In recent years, there has been a trend towards expanding urban areas and the concentration of population in urban agglomerations, which leads to many environmental problems. One of them is the lack of territories with trees and shrubs of the forest park type, providing acoustic and aesthetic comfort to the population. The ecological balance of urban territories necessitates a long-term ecological strategy for the creation of similar territories in the urban development plans.

Traditional aromatherapy in the clinical context of a therapeutic community for the treatment of substance use disorders

Western medicine and psychotherapy have historically overlooked the potential of engaging the sense of smell for therapeutic purposes. However, in other medical traditions, such as that of the Peruvian Amazon, specific therapeutic interventions based on the use of aromatic plants are commonly performed in conjunction with other healing modalities. Traditional specialized healers locally known as perfumeros conduct such healing sessions. This research describes how this kind of traditional Amazonian aromatherapy is used in the context of Takiwasi center, a therapeutic community specialized in the treatment of substance use disorders. Participant observation was carried out by shadowing the healers in charge of specific aromatherapy sessions including the so-called plant baths, sahumerio, and saunas. Additionally, semi structured interviews were conducted with several members of Takiwasi’s therapeutic staff, and non-peer reviewed publications and audio-video materials present in the Takiwasi archive were consulted and used as original data for this research. Data on users that received a plant bath from July 2019 to February 2021, were also acquired and discussed. The cosmology beyond this kind of traditional aromatherapy includes concepts such as “energetic body” and “spiritual entities”, opening the discussion on something beyond the mere materialistic aspect of aromatic chemistry and pharmacology.

Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth.

Sustainable farming practices aim to replace agrochemicals with plant-based alternatives to increase productivity and soil quality. To evaluate the potential use of aromatic plants as soil amendments in tomato seedbeds, in a greenhouse experiment, we used spearmint, peppermint, and rosemary, separately, as soil amendments, in pots sown with tomato, and studied their effect on seedling growth, soil nutrients, and the soil nematode community in terms of trophic and functional structure, metabolic footprint, and genera composition. Non-amended soil was used in the control pots. We further explored the dynamics of the plant–soil–nematode interactions by using aromatic plants at different stages of decomposition (0, 28, and 56 days). Incorporating aromatic plants into the soil led to the proliferation of free-living nematodes, especially of the opportunistic kind, resulting in vigorous and enriched soil. This was more pronounced in the case of the spearmint and peppermint, which also increased the tomato growth. The high soil nutritional status and enhanced plant growth were most prominent when the aromatic plants were left for 28 days to decompose in the soil before sowing. Compared with the mint plants, the rosemary had similar, yet less intense, effects on the soil community, but completely inhibited the growth of the tomato seedlings. Therefore, it is not recommended for use as a soil amendment in tomato seedbeds.

Prospects of the use of aromatic plants of the Lamiaceae Martinov family

Prospects of the use of aromatic plants of the Lamiaceae Martinov family

Las Verbenáceas comestibles de América: Una revisión bibliográfica

Verbenaceae are a distinctive element from the Americas, and even when there are numerous useful species in the family until now they have not been listed. In line with this, we present the first checklist of Verbenaceae employed for food purposes in the continent. Seventy two bibliographical sources mentioning at least one edible Verbenaceae were selected from more than 500 references analyzed; as a result, 46 edible species have been registered. The family stands in the Americas regarding the use of aromatic plants. In fact, ca. 40% of the edible species are employed because of their aromatic traits, followed by edible fruits (ca. 33%). This collaborative effort represents a baseline for future research on this valuable lineage of flowering plants.

Repellency of Wild Oregano Plant Volatiles, Plectranthus Amboinicus, and Their Essential Oils to the Silverleaf Whitefly, Bemisia Tabaci, on Tomato.

The Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) whitefly is a major economically damaging pest of many crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Pesticides are widely used to control B. tabaci while the use of aromatic plants is an alternative control method. The aim of this study was to assess the B.tabaci repellent effect of wild oregano, Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng, a widespread aromatic plant in the West Indies. We tested three origins of wild oregano, including northern, central, and southern Martinique (French West Indies). Our results showed that all essential oils of wild oregano had either masking properties or were true repellents-the mean percentage of whiteflies present in the upper part of the still-air olfactometer was 1.3- to 1.9-fold lower than in the controls. The ethanolic solution of volatile organic compounds of wild oregano from southern Martinique also had a true repellent effect-the mean percentage of whiteflies present in the upper part of the still-air olfactometer was 1.3-fold lower than in the controls. Moreover, in a greenhouse insect-proof cage, there were 1.5 fewer adult whiteflies on tomato intercropped with wild oregano from southern Martinique than on tomato alone after 96 h exposure. Our study generated further insight into the potential of P. amboinicus for B. tabaci biocontrol on tomato crops. Wild oregano extracts were repellent to B. tabaci and could be used as a companion plant to prevent whitefly infestations on tomato crops. However, the B. tabaci behavior depends on the plant origin.

Biological Activity of Extracts from Aromatic Plants as Control Agents against Spoilage Molds Isolated from Sheep Cheese.

The aim of this work was to assess the antifungal and antioxidant activity of essential oils and ethanolic extracts from distilled solid by-products from aromatic plants (Artemisia dracunculus, Hyssopus officinalis, Lavandula stoechas, Origanum vulgare and Satureja montana) against 14 fungi strains isolated from sheep cheese and identified at species level using DNA barcoding based on β-tubulin sequence analysis. In addition, capacity of fungi to produce ochratoxin A, patulin, cyclopiazonic acid and sterigmatocystin was analyzed. Of the isolates, 85.7% belonged to Penicillium (P. commune/biforme, P. crustosum) and 14.3% to Aspergillus (A. puulaauensis and A. jensenii), the first time that these Aspergillus species have been found in sheep’s cheese. All P. commune isolates were producers of cyclopiazonic acid, and the two Aspergillus strains produced sterigmatocystin, but the others did not produce any tested mycotoxin. Among the essential oils tested, oregano, savory and tarragon had a significant antifungal activity against all the isolated strains, but no ethanolic extract showed antifungal activity. By contrast, ethanolic extracts showed great potential as antioxidants. The identification of new molds in cheese will help the dairy industry to know more about those molds affecting the sector, and the use of aromatic plants in the control of fungal spoilage could be a suitable alternative to chemical preservatives used in the agri-food industry.

In situ cultivation of aromatic plant species for the phytomanagement of an aged-trace element polluted soil: Plant biomass improvement options and techno-economic assessment of the essential oil production channel

Due to the presence of trace element (TE) in agricultural soils, wide areas are unproper for food production and the clean-up of soil is not a feasible option. Considering the potential remediation options, the use of aromatic plants producing a high quantity of biomass and developing high-added value sectors such as essential oil (EO) production could be valuable regarding one of the phytomanagement objectives, i.e. the restoration of an economic activity. The purpose of this study was hence to evaluate in situ the suitability of two aromatic crops, clary sage and coriander, for the phytomanagement of aged TE-polluted soils, taking into account plants' growth, development and biomass production, essential oil (EO) content and quality as well as a techno-economic feasibility analysis of the channel. In situ experiments have been carried out on two agricultural plots of 1.5 ha, a TE-polluted one (Pb: 394 ppm - Zn: 443 ppm - Cd: 7.2 ppm) and an unpolluted one (Pb: 22 ppm - Zn: 48 ppm - Cd: 0.4 ppm). Our findings have shown the ability of coriander and sage to grow similarly on both unpolluted and TE-polluted soil and to produce significant amounts of biomass. The pesticide residue and TE analyses have demonstrated that the EO only contained trace amounts of the contaminants, below or close to the limit of quantification of the method used and similar to marketed products. Mycorrhizal inoculation has also shown promising results by increasing the colonization rates of both aromatic plants, but did not result in higher biomass or EO amounts. Our study brings new evidence towards the potential of clary sage to be used for the phytomanagement of TE-polluted areas, given its perennial vegetation cover, tolerance to TE and obtained EO yields.

Behavior of Cd Accumulation in Sinapis alba L. in the Presence of Essential Elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni)

Heavy metal toxicity in plants is well known due to their severe phytotoxic effects and also because of their capability to accumulate in vegetables. The use of aromatic plants in remediation techniques has increased in the context of environmental pollution issues, including metal soil contamination. Cadmium is knowed as a toxic and bio accumulative element provided by natural or anthropic sources. In this context, the paper presents a laboratory experimental study aiming to evaluate the accumulating and transfer behavior of Cd in the plant organs of Sinapis alba L. (white mustard) and in the presence of essential elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni). The study involves a comparison between white mustard cultivated in unpolluted soil and in two Cd polluted soils at values above the alert (2.8 mg/Kg), respectively intervention threshold for soils with sensitive use (5.6 mg/kg) according to the legislation in force in Romania. While Cd accumulated predominantly in roots (TC values 1.46 and 2.22), its transfer to the stem and leaves was observed too, the TF values for the aerial part of the plant being greater than 1. Moreover, the study showed that certain elements (Zn, Ca, Mg, Mn) were found in higher concentrations in plants subjected to Cd pollution than in the control sample indicating antagonistic effects and Cd toxicity limiting. Other essential metals, such as Cu, Fe and Ni were found in lower concentrations in intoxicated plants compared to control plants. Their translocation from soil in plant organs could be reduced by the Cd toxicity. Contrariwise, the mobility of these elements from roots to leaves could support the tolerance effect of plants to Cd stress. The study allows us to consider that Sinapis alba L. aromatic plants are suitable for soil phytoremediation technologies used in Cd decontamination.

The integral use of aromatic plants: prefeasibility comparison of stand-alone and biorefinery processes using thyme (Thymus vulgaris) as base case

The use of lignocellulosic biomass to produce commercial high-value products has taken force in recent years. Aromatic plants are key raw materials to obtain bioactive compounds with high added value, such as phenolic compounds, but its extraction produces a high amount of wastes. In this sense, the present work aimed to evaluate experimentally the extraction of phenolic compounds from thyme and subsequently, the production of biogas from the remaining of the extraction. To evaluate the prefeasibility of the processes, the simulations of the stand-alone (conventional extraction), as well as the biorefinery (phenolic compounds extraction, biogas production, and a cogeneration system), were carried out and evaluated according to technical, economic, and environmental approaches. The bioactive compound extraction yield was 11.95% (w/w) and the methane yield was 114 ml/g volatile solids. In the present work, it was suggested that the stand-alone process becomes to be profitable from a small scale (23 T/day) in comparison with the biorefinery approach, which needs to be worked on a major scale (61 T/day) to be economically feasible. The comparison of the environmental impact generated by each scheme shows the major impact for the biorefinery case.

Экстракция растительных пигментов из местного сырья

Introduction. Violation of the ecological balance and modern processing methods may result in a lower content of important nutrients in food. Therefore, there is a need to restore the balance of biologically active substances in food products. In this regard, it seems appropriate to use plant materials that contain biologically active substances, as well as pigments. The use of aromatic plants for these purposes remains understudied. The research objective was to extract chlorophyll-based green pigments based from green plants.
 Study objects and methods. The object of the study was dried parsley (Petroselinum vulgare). The extractants included acetone, ethyl alcohol (95%), hexane, petroleum ether, and chloroform.
 Results and discussion. The extractants were chosen according to the total content of chlorophylls, which determine the color of the extract. Since carotenoids are extracted along with chlorophylls, the content of this component was also determined. Acetone demonstrated the maximum degree of chlorophyll recovery. However, this solvent cannot be used in food industry. Therefore, 95% ethanol, which also showed a high degree of chlorophyll extraction, was chosen as the extractant. A set of experiments made it possible to establish the ratio of feedstock and extractant as 1:60 (three times extraction with a mass ratio of parsley and extract); the optimal time of each extraction was 0.5 ± 0.1 h. Magnesium carbonate (MgCO2) helped to preserve the dyes. In order to increase the concentration of coloring substances, the obtained extract was subjected to thickening at a residual pressure of 400 Pa at 40°C.
 Conclusion. The obtained concentrate from dried parsley can be used in production of combined foods.

Uso de plantas aromáticas en el sector turismo en Tulum, Quintana Roo, México para la identificación de nuevos nichos productivos en la región

El sector de turismo más dinámico en Tulum, Quintana Roo, se encuentra vinculado a la provisión de servicios de salud, relajación, espiritualidad y el entorno natural; por consiguiente, con un importante uso de plantas aromáticas. Sin embargo, se sabe poco acerca de la adquisición y uso de éstas por parte de quienes ofrecen dichos servicios a los turistas. Por ello, en esta investigación se analizó información proveniente de terapeutas, instructores y elaboradores de productos naturales a fin de identificar las plantas aromáticas utilizadas en este sector en Tulum, Quintana Roo. Los resultados mostraron que las especies más usadas para los servicios turísticos son: menta, albahaca y ruda. Además, la prueba Chi cuadrada permitió identificar una asociación entre el tipo de servicio ofrecido a los turistas y 1) el proveedor a quien se compra la planta, así como, 2) la época de uso de la planta Se encontró que los servicios de yoga son quienes tienen más diversidad proveedores de plantas, son quienes más compran éstas a las comunidades mayas y junto con los servicios terapéuticos promueven el autocultivo. Asimismo, se encontró variabilidad de la época de consumo respecto a los diferentes tipos de servicios incluidos en el estudio.

COMPOUNDS WITH in vitro ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY FROM HYDROSOL OF Lippia palmerI AND MORPHOMETRIC CHANGES ON Listeria monocytogenes

Foodborne diseases have increased, and with it, the interest to discover new natural antimicrobials; the use of aromatic plants, due to the extraction and use of the essential oil (EO), are widely studied and with great biological activity. However, studies with hydrosols (HS) from aromatic plants are limited. The aim in this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of HS from Lippia palmeri plant against the bacterial pathogen L. monocytogenes. HS was obtained by hydrodistillation and fractionation thereof by open column chromatography. The antibacterial activity was performed by disk diffusion. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) was estimated using the PROBIT survival analysis. Ampicillin was used as control. To evaluate the diameter and cellular damage, optical microscopy and epifluorescence were used, respectively. The characterization was performed by spectroscopy. HS showed IC50 of 224 μL/mL and from HS two fractions were obtained. The fraction with the highest activity showed an IC50 of 125 mg/mL and rosmarinic acid and a phthalate derivative were identified from this fraction. HS, showed bioactivity against L. monocytogenes. Therefore, this would be a candidate for use as an active ingredient in the disinfection of food and areas in contact with them.

Essential Oils and Pure Volatile Compounds as Potential Drugs in Alzheimer's Disease Therapy: An Updated Review of the Literature.

The use of aromatic plants to relief different illness is not a new therapy. Actually aromatic plants have been used for many centuries by different cultures around the world. Pharmacological studies provide scientific support to the traditional use of aromatic medicinal plants and aromatherapy; nevertheless, more clinical trials are required regarding to their effectiveness in order to establish a guidance for their use in routine healthcare. Moreover, modern medicine in studies about olfactory function has attained great achievements and got Nobel Prize in 2004. These new searches have obviously fueled interest in the essential oils and volatile compounds of natural origin. Several reviews on the newly discovered AChEi obtained from plants, fungus and marine organisms have also been published over the last years. The majority of these AChEi belong to the alkaloid group, including indole, isoquinoline, quinolizidine, piperidine and steroidal alkaloids. Probably the interest in the essential oils and volatile compounds will be fueled from the new available scientific data about receptor on olfactory mucosa of nasal cavity. It can receive and distinguish different odor molecules, which produce nerve impulse and transmit into olfactory bulb via olfactory nerves. The nerve cells in the olfactory bulb transmit the signals into hippocampus. Because hippocampus is closely related with learning and memory functions, the volatile compounds can be potential drugs in AD therapies.

Nest Material Shapes Eggs Bacterial Environment.

Selective pressures imposed by pathogenic microorganisms to embryos have selected in hosts for a battery of antimicrobial lines of defenses that includes physical and chemical barriers. Due to the antimicrobial properties of volatile compounds of green plants and of chemicals of feather degrading bacteria, the use of aromatic plants and feathers for nest building has been suggested as one of these barriers. However, experimental evidence suggesting such effects is scarce in the literature. During two consecutive years, we explored experimentally the effects of these nest materials on loads of different groups of bacteria (mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus) of eggshells in nests of spotless starlings (Sturnus unicolor) at the beginning and at the end of the incubation period. This was also explored in artificial nests without incubation activity. We also experimentally increased bacterial density of eggs in natural and artificial nests and explored the effects of nest lining treatments on eggshell bacterial load. Support for the hypothetical antimicrobial function of nest materials was mainly detected for the year and location with larger average values of eggshell bacterial density. The beneficial effects of feathers and plants were more easily detected in artificial nests with no incubation activity, suggesting an active role of incubation against bacterial colonization of eggshells. Pigmented and unpigmented feathers reduced eggshell bacterial load in starling nests and artificial nest boxes. Results from artificial nests allowed us to discuss and discard alternative scenarios explaining the detected association, particularly those related to the possible sexual role of feathers and aromatic plants in starling nests. All these results considered together confirm the antimicrobial functionality mainly of feathers but also of plants used as nest materials, and highlight the importance of temporally and geographically environmental variation associated with risk of bacterial proliferation determining the strength of such effects. Because of costs associated to nest building, birds should adjust nest building effort to expected bacterial environments during incubation, a prediction that should be further explored.