In the world of plants, there is a group of plants that contain more aromatic substances (essential oils or resinous secretions), which we call aromatic plants. Some of them are plants that we can usually smell aromatic or plants that have been widely used as spices, such as perilla, fennel, camphor and so on. There are also some plants that have a very weak aromatic odor or cannot smell the fragrance at all, and wild plants that have an aromatic smell but have not yet been used, which are less recognized as aromatic plants, such as psyllium, sunflower, purslane, etc.
Aromatic plants are widely distributed around the world, and Huang Shicheng and Zhang Shaoyang include 3300 species of aromatic plants in their "Compilation of Aromatic Plants List", belonging to 756 genera and 163 families. Among them, only 400 kinds of aromatic plants are effectively developed and utilized, and even fewer are often used in landscaping, with only 200 to 300 species.
Aromatic plants can be divided into floral fragrances, such as osmanthus flowers, white orchids, magnolias, plums, gardenias, jasmine, nine incense, laughing, etc.; leaf fragrances such as camphor, cedar, laurel, rosemary, herbs, etc.; fruity aromas such as lemons, bergamot, apples, strawberries, passionflower, mangoes, etc.; wood aromas such as willow fir, yew, toon, fork cypress, etc. If it is divided into fragrance type, tulip type, strong fragrance type, strong fragrance type, stimulating fragrance type according to the fragrance type, according to the use, it can be divided into spices, medicinal uses, vegetables, fruits, ornamental greening and so on.
Aromatic plants are used as spices and food
In ancient China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, people have long known the use of aromatic plants, but at that time they were limited to the use of plants themselves. China has a long history of applying aromatic plants, mainly used in medicinal, sacrificial, edible, bathing, incense and other fields. The earliest application of aromatic plants in China can be traced back to ancient times.
Attempts to extract aromatic oils from plants by distillation began in the 13th century. In the 16th century, Europeans successfully extracted essential oils from aromatic plants such as turpentine, rosemary oil, spike lavender oil, etc. Since the 19th century, the excavation and utilization of aromatic plants has expanded rapidly with the development of science and technology. At the beginning of this century, chemical spices synthesized from coal tar once occupied a large part of the spice market due to their low prices. However, these spices have toxic side effects on the skin, so most consumers tend to use cosmetics formulated with natural flavors extracted from aromatic plants. Moreover, this trend will become increasingly strong as people return to their natural consumption orientation. Therefore, the demand for aromatic plants has been greatly increased, and the development of the spice industry has been promoted.
Now, the most impressive aromatic plants are used as spices and food. Aromatic plants contain a large number of nutrients and some trace elements and vitamins, often directly as vegetables to eat, such as coriander, toon, fennel, perilla, basil, etc., because it has a fragrance function, can be processed into a variety of foods or seasonings; you can also choose some color and fragrance and health function of aromatic plants mixed into daily drinks, such as rose tea, vanilla tea, etc., has now developed into a leisure erotic drink; with a high degree of liquor and then add an appropriate amount of rock sugar brewing, can be directly drunk or concocted cocktails, Plants suitable for making aromatic wine are lemongrass, perilla, chamomile, peppermint, lavender, thyme, basil, osmanthus and so on.
Aromatic plants contain eucalyptus olein, citral, etc., which are volatile essential oil components, and can be used as raw materials for the fragrance industry. Natural flavors have a unique fragrance that industrial synthetic spices cannot replace, and are harmless to the human body, widely used in food, cigarettes, textiles, building materials, leather, alcohol, candy, toothpaste, cosmetics and other industries, but also can be used for processing health care tea, sachets, incense pillows, etc., and can even be used as natural antiseptics and antioxidants in food and medicine.
The use of aromatic plants rich in natural pigments, such as dark yellow gardenia (fruit), pale yellow calendula, brown bee flowers, blue butterfly beans, blue-purple lavender, pink rose ash, light blue swallow grass to make natural dyes, especially suitable for food coloring.
Plant spices have been used in health care since ancient times
Plant flavors include volatile essential oil components and non-volatile alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids and other components, often have certain special medicinal properties, can treat a variety of diseases. In fact, in ancient China, there are records of plant spices used for health care treatment: Hua Tuo once used sachets such as cloves and musk, incense balls to treat respiratory infections, vomiting and so on. In fact, natural flavors and traditional Chinese medicine are in the same vein. For example, the aroma of chrysanthemum can cure colds, eyes, headaches, dizziness; the fragrance of osmanthus has the functions of clearing the lungs, relieving depression and avoiding impurities; violet and rose fragrance can give people a refreshing and pleasant feeling; orchid fragrance can relieve people's boredom and melancholy; rosemary and mint incense have a good role in promoting people's imagination; pine, cypress, camphor have the effect of refreshing, awakening the brain, relaxing the muscles and invigorating the blood; lavender has a calming effect; daffodils can make people excited and give people a pleasant feeling. Volatiles of aromatic plants, such as geraniol, linalool, linaloyl acetate, eugenol, etc., have practical effects on controlling the "morning peak phenomenon" of blood pressure in patients with moderate and mild hypertension.
Some plant aromas contain alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, theenes, ethers, semi-thienenes and other aromatic and low-grade vinegar compounds, as well as other antioxidant substances, antibacterial substances and other components, through the role of air circulation, can spread to the surrounding environment, to achieve the role of killing germs and purifying the air. Among them, the bactericidal effect of cloves, osmanthus flowers, camphor, pine trees, cypresses and so on is particularly obvious. Round Berlin can secrete bactericides; the volatile substances of purple jasmine can kill diphtheriae, tuberculosis bacteria, dysentery bacteria in 5 seconds; the volatile gases of plants such as hibiscus and trichocere can inhibit the growth of cancer cells; the aroma of aromatic plants such as marigold, lavender, pepperwood, pepperwood, peppermint, spearmint, spearmint, basil, fennel, rosemary and other aromatic plants can also repel insects such as mosquitoes and flies.
"Fragrant Flower Hospital" aromatherapy regulates the body and mind
Most aromatic plants have ornamental value and can be used as landscaping plants. Compared with other garden plants, aromatic plants have their own unique role in exerting their ornamental value. Aromatic plants have certain pharmacological effects. The elderly like tai chi, qigong and other sports methods, facing some specific plants for breathing exercises, has a certain health care effect. Such as: when exercising in the face of pine plants (Luohan pine, cedar, masson pine, oil pine, Yunnan pine) breathing, joint soreness and other diseases have a certain effect; exercise in front of the ginkgo tree, breathing will feel fragrant, for some asthma, hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease patients have the effect of lungs, heart; exercise in the camphor forest, will get rheumatism, qi and blood and other natural health good effect.
The most important characteristic of aromatic plants is that it contains aromatic components such as linalool, eucalyptol, citral, eugenol and so on. At present, the comprehensive utilization of aromatic plants in the world does not emphasize the extraction of aromatic components, and many times it is directly used to use these aromatic plants themselves, which makes people feel more in nature.
Aromatherapy is a natural remedy that is non-toxic and has no side effects. The use of aromatherapy to regulate mental states and moods is popular in Europe. The "Forest Hospital" and "Fragrant Flower Hospital" there are quite respected. These hospitals use the aroma of trees, flowers, and secluded environments to regulate the physical and mental state of patients. In the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, the former Soviet Union, there is a "Fragrant Flower Hospital", which grows many flowers and plants that are beneficial to human health. Under the guidance of scientists and careful cultivation by doctors, the floral fragrance of these plants can maintain its unique properties. Japanese medical experts have found that for certain conditions that occur due to mental stress, the fragrance of flowers is a good medicine. Ryohiko Saga, a professor of medical essence neurology at Xinglin University in Japan, found that the human body is often in a state of fatigue, unconsciously experiencing symptoms such as panic and difficulty breathing, and can also cause high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and allergic diseases in severe cases, and the fragrance of flowers has a good effect on these diseases.
(Contributed by Xiamen Old Science and Technology Association)
Source: Xiamen Daily