BACKGROUND The foraging choices of honey bees are influenced by many factors, such as floral aroma. The composition of volatile compounds influences the bioactivity of the aromatic plants and honey produced from them. In this study, Agastache rugosa was evaluated as part of a project to select the most promising medicinal plant species for production of bioactive honey. METHODS Headspace soli...

Phenylpropenes such as chavicol, t-anol, eugenol, and isoeugenol are produced by plants as defense compounds against animals and microorganisms and as floral attractants of pollinators. Moreover, humans have used phenylpropenes since antiquity for food preservation and flavoring and as medicinal agents. Previous research suggested that the phenylpropenes are synthesized in plants from substitut...

Vanillyl alcohol oxidase (VAO) and eugenol oxidase (EUGO) are flavin-dependent enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of para-substituted phenols. This makes them potentially interesting biocatalysts for the conversion of lignin-derived aromatic monomers to value-added compounds. To facilitate their biocatalytic exploitation, it is important to develop methods by which variants of the enzymes can ...

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), a member of Lamiaceae family, is an important medicinal plant that has many useful properties. Micronutrients are necessary in low dose for the growth and the development of plants. Present research was conducted to study the effects of micronutrients including manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) on morpho-physiological traits and essential oil of lemon balm. Fie...

Abstract Background Two plant essential oils, basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) and petitgrain mandarin Citrus reticulate L.), one pyrethroid chemical insecticide, lambda-cyhalothrin, were evaluated against two of the most important stored product insect pests, Sitophilus oryzae Rhyzopertha dominica , on wheat grains under laboratory conditions using mixing with feeding method. The effect tested mat...

BACKGROUND The plants belonging to the Ocimum genus of the Lamiaceae family are considered to be a rich source of essential oils which have expressed biological activity and use in different area of human activity. There is a great variety of chemotypes within the same basil species. Essential oils from three different cultivars of basil, O. basilicum var. purpureum, O. basilicum var. thyrsiflo...

The phenylpropene t-anethole imparts the characteristic sweet aroma of anise (Pimpinella anisum, family Apiaceae) seeds and leaves. Here we report that the aerial parts of the anise plant accumulate t-anethole as the plant matures, with the highest levels of t-anethole found in fruits. Although the anise plant is covered with trichomes, t-anethole accumulates inside the leaves and not in the tr...

Background: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a member of the Lamiaceae family, has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant in the treatment of headaches, coughs, diarrhea, constipation, warts, worms, and kidney malfunctions. Objective: To investigate the foliar application effects of bio-stimulators and bio-fertilizers on morphological and phytochemical traits of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). ...

The prospect of replacing traditional chemical fertilization with organic and microorganism-based meets the current demand for more sustainable cropping systems healthy food. In this respect, research was carried out to evaluate effects factorial combination between four basil cultivars (‘Aromat de Buzau’, ‘Macedon’, ‘Cuisoare’ ‘Serafim’) three types fertilization, namely (with a solid fertiliz...

Ocimum basilicum belongs to Lamiaceae family and has been used for the treatment of wide range of diseases in traditional medicine in Iranian folk medicine. Due to the progressive need to anti-anxiety medications and because of the similarity between O. basilicum and Salvia officinalis, which has anti-anxiety effects, we decided to investigate the anxiolytic and sedative activity of hydroalcoho...