FURTHER CONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE IRANIAN LABIATAE FAMILY

Prof. Abdolhossein Rustaiyan*, Afsaneh Faridchehr PhD., Mahdieh Ariaee Fard MSc. and Zahra Sadat Aghakhah Razlighi MSc.

ABSTRACT

A very important medicinal plant family is the Labiatae family, also known as the mint family. Plants in this family are herbs or shrubs often with an aromatic smell. They are common in the Maltese Islands and other Mediterranean countries for the fact that some of them produce a high amount of essential oil that enables them to survive the hot summer season. Some examples from this family include mints, thyme, tulsi, spearmint and coleus. It is widely cultivated for medicinal, traditional and folk medicine, perfumery, culinary and ornamental purposes. Also they are used as culinary and ornamental plants. Medicinal constituents include the strong aromatic essential oil, tannins, saponins and organic acids. This family contains a wide variety of chemicals. A wide range of compounds such as terpenoids, iridiods, phenolic compounds and flavonoides have been reported from the members of the family. The oil is obtained by steam distillation. In aromatherapy, the oil is used for its soothing effects. The plant has sedative, diuretic, tonic, antispasmodic and antiseptic properties.

Keywords: biologically active compounds, plant; phytochemical; plant biologically active compounds.