HEALTH AND KITCHEN...aromatic plants
Many herbs have medicinal properties and officinal (like mint), but are generally used:
* In the kitchen as a spice to flavor foods, or prolong the shelf life of certain foods
* Erboristeria in fresh or dried more frequently for the preparation of infusions or refreshing drinks
* Industrially for the preparation of liquors or bitters
* In perfumery for the preparation of artisan perfumes, ointments and creams
* In the chemical industry for the extraction of essences for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals (increasingly replaced by synthetic aromas, cheaper and with characteristics constant)
* In some religions, flavorings developed by gommoresine and balms are integral or ancillary part of the liturgy.
The term plant is aromatic plants containing substances of flavor (flavorings), rich in essential oils, whose biological function is assumed to be: for protection from insect pests, which are repellent, stimulant plant metabolism and in the flowers attracting insects pronubi; Agents allelopatici for protection and competition with other species, and protection from herbivores.
In plants the production of aromatic substances can be distributed throughout the plant or localized in certain organs, such as:
*Seeds (pepper, anise, vanilla, juniper, coffee, etc..)
*Bulbs or roots (onion, garlic, etc..)
*Leaves (tea, tobacco, etc.).
*Wood (sandalwood, camphor, etc..).
The herbs can be tree species (eg conifers, Citrus, Eucalyptus), shrubs (such as rosemary, tea, juniper) or more frequently herbaceous annual or perennial. The production of aromatic substances can be done with the collection of wild species, but usually are grown as horticultural species, to ensure the quantity and quality required by the market.
List of species
Below is an alphabetical list, under the scientific name and common herbs most commonly cultivated: