Satureja montana: cultivation, production and uses

Abstract

The application of medicinal herbs in the prevention and treatment of certain medical conditions is a concept that has become widely present. On the one hand, the reasons for this are poverty and unavailability of synthetic drugs, and on the other, there is a mistrust of synthetic drugs due to their adverse side effects. One herbal species which is quite popular in traditional medicine is Satureja montana L. Its presence in indigenous remedies has served as a basis for numerous scientific researches which determined its significant pharmacological activities, such as: diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antiproliferative, and others. Utilization in folk medicine for particular medical conditions and diseases, and its scientific validity, caused a necessity for production of products on the basis of S. montana. However, a difficulty that occurs during the process is the unevenness of chemical composition of S. montana, which grows in nature and is harvested. The huge inconsistency and differences in the content of compounds exist among dominant ones (carvacrol and thymol), as well as those that are present in lower concentrations (p-cymene, linalool, γ-terpinene, etc.). The differences are caused by different stadiums of ontogenetic development, geographical terrain, climatic conditions, time and way of harvesting, availability of water and nutrients, pathogenic attacks, and many other factors. Because of the huge variations of the chemical composition, the activity of the product on the basis of S. montana is directly affected. Therefore, it is necessary to Jelena Vladic, Senka Vidovic, Milica Acimovic et al. provide quality raw material with a uniform composition, that is, to standardize cultivation. Proper cultivation provides a high quality raw material with uniform chemical content which is suitable for use in the production of functional S. montana-based products.