Plants are an essential part of human society since the civilization started. Medicinal plants are the boon of nature to cure a number of ailments of human beings. In many parts of the world medicinal plants are used against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Evaluation of plants bearing efficiency in healing various diseases is growing in recent years. Innumerable biologically active comp...

Mentha spicata L., commonly known as spearmint, is widely used in both fresh and dry forms, for infusion preparation or in European and Indian cuisines. Recently, with the evolution of the tea market, several novel products with added value are emerging, and the standard lots have evolved to reserve lots, with special harvest requirements that confer them with enhanced organoleptic and sensoria...

The p-menthane monoterpenes of the Mentha species are biosynthesized from geranyl pyrophosphate via the monocyclic olefin 4S-limonene. A monoterpene cyclase was isolated from both Mentha x piperita (peppermint) and Mentha spicata (spearmint) that catalyzes the cyclization of geranyl pyrophosphate to 4S-limonene. This enzyme, 4S-limonene synthase, was purified to apparent homogeneity by dye liga...

Ascosphaera apis is one of the major fungal pathogens of honey bee broods and the causative agent of Chalkbrood disease. The factors responsible for the pathogenesis of Chalkbrood disease are still not fully understood, and the increasing resistance of A. apis to commonly used antifungal agents necessitates a search for new agents to control this disease. The in vitro antifungal activities of 2...

Four spearmint, and two peppermint clonal lines, selected for enhanced rosmarinic acid content (50-120 mg g -1 rosmarinic acid DW), where up to 80% of the antioxidant activity was correlated to rosmarinic acid content, were examined to determine the effects of environmental and physiological conditions on the accumulation of rosmarinic acid in leaf tissues. Exposure to a short photoperiod of 12...

A floating system was established in a heated glass greenhouse order to investigate whether the effect of amino acids (0.25 or 0.50% commercial acid (AA) solution Amino16®) during peppermint and spearmint production on plant developmental nutritional status may be part attributed salinity induced osmotic stress. For this reason, some nutrient solutions, three levels were by adding 0, 10, 20 mM ...