Satureja Montana Research Articles

Antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Mediterranean aromatic plants

Eleven aromatic plants (lavender, thyme, winter savory, rosemary, sage, peppermint, chanomile, Roman chamomile, French tarragon, bitter and sweet fennel), typical of the Mediterranean area, were grown in Northern Italy and their essential oils obtained by steam distillation. The distilled oils were analysed for their antibacterial activities against 25 microorganisms and also for any antioxidant properties. The chemical composition of the essential oils was related to their effectiveness. Thyme and winter savory oils exhibited the greatest inhibition against the growth of all the tested organisms possibly due to the high content of thymol and carvacrol respectively. The Roman chamomile oil exhibited the highest antioxidant activity.

Characterization of several aromatic plants grown in northern Italy

AbstractThe introduction of extensive cultivations of seven aromatic plants, Lavandula angustifolia P. Miller × L. latifolia (L. fill.) Medikus (lavandin), Satureja montana L. (winter savory), Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme), Salvia officinalis L. (sage), Mentha piperita L. (peppermint), Foeniculum vulgare Mill, (fennel) and Chamomilla recutita (L.) Raush (chamomile), was evaluated on the basis of their essential oil yield and composition. Quali‐quantitative analyses were performed by GC‐MS. Different climatic conditions showed considerable effects on oil composition of winter savory and thyme, whereas mineral fertilizations did not have important influences on sage and peppermint oils. The oils from three lavandin and fennel varieties and from seven chamomile types were characterized and their qualitative parameters compared.