Lemon verbena
Encyclopedia
Aloysia citrodora is a species of flowering plant
in the verbena
family, Verbenaceae
, that is native to Argentina
, Paraguay
, Brazil
, Uruguay
, Chile
, Bolivia
, and Peru
. Common names include Lemon Verbena and Lemon Beebrush. It was brought to Europe
by the Spanish
in the 17th century.
open shrub growing to 2 -3 m high. The 8cm long glossy, pointed leaves are slightly rough to the touch and emit a powerful lemon scent when bruised. Sprays of tiny lilac or white flowers appear in late Spring or early Summer. It is sensitive to cold, losing leaves at temperatures below 0°C although the wood is hardy to -10°C.
in place of actual lemon (as is common with Moroccan tea
). It can also be used to make a sorbet. In addition, it has anti-Candida albicans
activity.
In European Union
, Verbena essential oil
s (Lippia citriodora Kunth.) and derivatives other than absolute are prohibited when used as a fragrance ingredient (Commission Directive 2009/164/EU of 22 December 2009).
Moderate antioxidant supplementation with lemon verbena extract protects neutrophils against oxidative damage, decreases the signs of muscular damage in chronic running exercise without blocking the cellular adaptation to exercise.
Lippia citriodora extract shows antioxidant properties that could play an important role in modulating GSH-reductase activity in lymphocytes and erythrocytes and protecting plasma from exercise oxidative damage.
Lemon verbena extract containing 25% verbascoside
showed strong antioxidant capacity, especially in a lipophilic
environment, which was higher than expected as concluded from the antioxidant capacity of pure verbascoside, probably due to synergistic effects. The capacity of verbascoside to act as an effective radical scavenger in lipophilic environments was also shown. Verbascoside-enriched extracts might have interesting applications in cosmetic, nutraceuticals or functional food; however, the genotoxicity of verbascoside may limit its use.
(30-35%), nerol
and geraniol
.
Phenylpropanoids are the main class of compounds from lemon verbena which have shown a wide biological
activity, verbascoside being the most abundant one.
triphylla L'Hér., Verbena citriodora Cav., Lippia
triphylla, Lippia citriodora, Aloysia
citriodora (Cav.) Ort.
on his botanical circumnavigation with Bougainville
, about 1785. The plant had already been quietly imported directly into the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
, where professors Casimiro Gómez Ortega
and Antonio Palau y Verdera named it, though they did not publish it, Aloysia citrodora, to compliment the morganatic wife of the Garden's patron Infante Luis Antonio de Borbon, Prince of Asturias and brother of king Carlos III.
Unofficial importations from Spanish America seldom fared well: when another French botanist Joseph Dombey
landed his collections at Cadiz
in 1785 they were impounded and left to rot in warehouses, while he was refused permission even to have seeds planted. Among the bare handful of plants Dombey had assembled during eight years at Lima, Lemon Verbena survived.
Palau y Verdera's dedication was utterly ignored, and when the plant became popular throughout southern Spain as Yerba Luisa it was connected, even in print, with the more prominent personage Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain.
Meanwhile Gómez Ortega sent seeds and specimens of the plant to Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
in Paris; L'Héritier published it as Verbena triphylla in his Stirpes Novae. 1784. From Paris John Sibthorpe, professor of Botany at Oxford, obtained the specimen that he introduced to British horticulture: by 1797 the Lemon Verbena was common in greenhouses around London, and its popularity as essential in a fragrant bouquet increased through the following century
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the verbena
Verbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
family, Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, commonly known as the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that...
, that is native to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Common names include Lemon Verbena and Lemon Beebrush. It was brought to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in the 17th century.
Description
Lemon Verbena is a deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
open shrub growing to 2 -3 m high. The 8cm long glossy, pointed leaves are slightly rough to the touch and emit a powerful lemon scent when bruised. Sprays of tiny lilac or white flowers appear in late Spring or early Summer. It is sensitive to cold, losing leaves at temperatures below 0°C although the wood is hardy to -10°C.
Uses
Lemon verbena leaves are used to add a lemony flavor to fish and poultry dishes, vegetable marinades, salad dressings, jams, puddings, and beverages. It also is used to make herbal teas, or added to standard teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
in place of actual lemon (as is common with Moroccan tea
Moroccan tea culture
Moroccan tea culture is defined by the way tea is prepared and consumed in Morocco, where it is widely consumed with food. The tradition has also spread throughout North Africa, parts of the Sahel, and southern Spain. Tea occupies a very important place in Moroccan culture and is considered an...
). It can also be used to make a sorbet. In addition, it has anti-Candida albicans
Candida albicans
Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that grows both as yeast and filamentous cells and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans. Systemic fungal infections including those by C...
activity.
In European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Verbena essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s (Lippia citriodora Kunth.) and derivatives other than absolute are prohibited when used as a fragrance ingredient (Commission Directive 2009/164/EU of 22 December 2009).
Moderate antioxidant supplementation with lemon verbena extract protects neutrophils against oxidative damage, decreases the signs of muscular damage in chronic running exercise without blocking the cellular adaptation to exercise.
Lippia citriodora extract shows antioxidant properties that could play an important role in modulating GSH-reductase activity in lymphocytes and erythrocytes and protecting plasma from exercise oxidative damage.
Lemon verbena extract containing 25% verbascoside
Verbascoside
Verbascoside is a phenylethanoid and a caffeic acid sugar ester. It can be found in species in the Lamiales order Verbascoside is a phenylethanoid and a caffeic acid sugar ester. It can be found in species in the Lamiales order Verbascoside is a phenylethanoid and a caffeic acid sugar ester. It can...
showed strong antioxidant capacity, especially in a lipophilic
environment, which was higher than expected as concluded from the antioxidant capacity of pure verbascoside, probably due to synergistic effects. The capacity of verbascoside to act as an effective radical scavenger in lipophilic environments was also shown. Verbascoside-enriched extracts might have interesting applications in cosmetic, nutraceuticals or functional food; however, the genotoxicity of verbascoside may limit its use.
Chemistry
The major isolates in lemon verbena oil are citralCitral
Citral, or 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal or lemonal, is either of, or a mixture of, a pair of terpenoids with the molecular formula C10H16O. The two compounds are double bond isomers. The E-isomer is known as geranial or citral A...
(30-35%), nerol
Nerol
Nerol is a monoterpene found in many essential oils such as lemongrass and hops. It was originally isolated from neroli oil, hence its name. This colourless liquid is used in perfumery. Like geraniol, nerol has a sweet rose odor but it is considered to be fresher.Isomeric with nerol is geraniol,...
and geraniol
Geraniol
Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil . It also occurs in small quantities in geranium, lemon, and many other essential oils. It appears as a clear to pale-yellow oil that is insoluble in water, but soluble in most common...
.
Phenylpropanoids are the main class of compounds from lemon verbena which have shown a wide biological
activity, verbascoside being the most abundant one.
Synonyms
Synonyms for Lemon Verbena are VerbenaVerbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
triphylla L'Hér., Verbena citriodora Cav., Lippia
Lippia
Lippia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustus Lippi, a French traveler. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical shrubs that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their essential oils, which vary between species but...
triphylla, Lippia citriodora, Aloysia
Aloysia
Aloysia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. The roughly 35 species of aromatic shrubs it contains are generally known as beebrushes, with the most well-known being Lemon Verbena...
citriodora (Cav.) Ort.
Garden history
The first European botanist who publicly noticed this plant was the French Philibert Commerson, who collected in the Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
on his botanical circumnavigation with Bougainville
Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of James Cook, he took part in the French and Indian War and the unsuccessful French attempt to defend Canada from Britain...
, about 1785. The plant had already been quietly imported directly into the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
The is an botanical garden located at , next to the Prado Museum in Madrid ....
, where professors Casimiro Gómez Ortega
Casimiro Gómez Ortega
Casimiro Gómez de Ortega was a Spanish physician, and botanist who was the First Professor of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid...
and Antonio Palau y Verdera named it, though they did not publish it, Aloysia citrodora, to compliment the morganatic wife of the Garden's patron Infante Luis Antonio de Borbon, Prince of Asturias and brother of king Carlos III.
Unofficial importations from Spanish America seldom fared well: when another French botanist Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey was a French botanist. He was involved in the “Dombey affair” which was precipitated by British seizure of a vessel his collections were on and diversion of the collections to the British Museum.-Biography:He ran away from home and acquired a thorough knowledge of botany in...
landed his collections at Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in 1785 they were impounded and left to rot in warehouses, while he was refused permission even to have seeds planted. Among the bare handful of plants Dombey had assembled during eight years at Lima, Lemon Verbena survived.
Palau y Verdera's dedication was utterly ignored, and when the plant became popular throughout southern Spain as Yerba Luisa it was connected, even in print, with the more prominent personage Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain.
Meanwhile Gómez Ortega sent seeds and specimens of the plant to Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle was an 18th century French botanist and magistrate. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of Superindent of Parisian Waters and Forests at the age of twenty-six...
in Paris; L'Héritier published it as Verbena triphylla in his Stirpes Novae. 1784. From Paris John Sibthorpe, professor of Botany at Oxford, obtained the specimen that he introduced to British horticulture: by 1797 the Lemon Verbena was common in greenhouses around London, and its popularity as essential in a fragrant bouquet increased through the following century