Botanical Names

It is vital to understand the value and importance of Latin scientific names, also known, for plants, as botanical names. A botanical name is binomial in that it is made up of two parts: the first part indicating the genus of the plant, and the second part, the species. For example, Bursera graveolens (Figure 1) begins with the name of the genus – Bursera - followed...

Fungi

Many years ago, fungi were classified as plants, but that has changed! Fungi are a distinct group of organisms that include mushrooms, mold, and yeast, and are different from plants for two reasons: their cells walls are composed of chitin, and they don’t make their own food. Plants have cell walls composed of cellulose and use photosynthesis to make their own food.

Fungi are...

Ghandi Root

Ghandi Root (Homalomena aromatica), an evergreen perennial, belongs to the Family Araceae, which is the most diverse plant family in the New World Tropics!

This essential oil-bearing plant’s native range occupies the tropical and subtropical forests from Assam to China.

Ghandi Root is identifiable by its heart-shaped leaves and orange yellow berries (Kew RBC, 2020) (Figure...

“All things are bound together. All things connect.” - Chief Seattle

Mass Extinction

Scientists revealed in 2010 that the Earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction whereby over 1,000,000 species are facing extinction (1). One of the two factors primarily contributing to this alarming number is habitat destruction, fuelled in particular by monoculture, urban sprawl,...

Cedrol

Cedrol is a tricyclic sesquiterpene alcohol commonly occurring in the essential oils of conifer trees, especially those belonging to the Cupressus and Juniperus genera. It occurs in essential oil of Juniperus virginiana (Virginian, red or Eastern red cedarwood) (Figure 1) at proportions of approximately 24-32% (ter Heide et al, 1988; Kitchens et...

Aniseed essential oil 

Essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) is not usually among those that we select when  requiring an uplifting, antidepressive effect. We might think instead of essential oils such as lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), bergamot (Citrus bergamia) and sandalwood (Santalum spp.), all of which have shown beneficial effects in clinical trials on mood parameters...

Asthma

Among the respiratory conditions for which essential oils show promise is bronchial asthma.

Asthma affects some 339 million people worldwide and is the most common chronic disease among children (Morales, 2018). Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways of the lungs with symptoms that include wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, excessive mucus...