Sideritis

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Sideritis
Sideritis syriaca (Ironwort scan).jpg
Sideritis syriaca (ironwort)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Lamioideae
Genus: Sideritis
L.
Species

See text

Sideritis, also known as ironwort, [1] mountain tea, and shepherd's tea, is a genus of flowering plants known for their use as herbal medicine, commonly as a herbal tea. They are abundant in Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesia, but can also be found in Central Europe and temperate Asia. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History and etymology

In Greek, "sideritis" (Gr: σιδηρίτις) can be literally translated as "he who is made of iron". [6] The plant was known to ancient Greeks, specifically Pedanius Dioscorides and Theophrastus. [7] Although Dioscorides describes three species, only one (probably S. scordioides) is thought to belong to Sideritis. In ancient times "sideritis" was a generic reference for plants capable of healing wounds caused by iron weapons during battles. However, others hold that the name stems from the shape of the sepal, which resembles the tip of a spear. [3]

Taxonomy

Sideritis scardica Sideritis scardica IMG 4653.jpg
Sideritis scardica

In 2002, molecular phylogenetic research found Sideritis and five other genera to be embedded in Stachys . [8] Further studies will be needed before Stachys, Sideritis, and their closest relatives can be revised.

Some schemes recognize and categorize up to 319 distinct species, subspecies, ecotypes, forms or cultivars, including: [9] [3]

Botanists have encountered difficulties in naming and classifying the varieties of Sideritis due to their subtle differences. One particularly confusing case is that of S. angustifolia Lagasca and S. tragoriganum Lagasca. [11]

Botany

The genus is composed of short (8–50 cm), xerophytic subshrubs or herbs, annual or perennial, that grow at high altitudes (usually over 1000 m) with little or no soil, often on the surface of rocks. [2] [5] [12] [13]

It is pubescent, either villous or coated by a fine, woolly layer of microscopic intertwined hairs.

Sideritis inflorescence is verticillaster. [2] [3]

Uses

Ironwort herbal tea. Greekmountaintea.jpg
Ironwort herbal tea.

In Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, and Turkey, Sideritis scardica, Sideritis clandestina , Sideritis syriaca, Sideritis perfoliata and various other species from the section Empedoclia are used as herbs either for the preparation of herbal teas, or for their aromatic properties in local cuisines. The herbal tea is commonly prepared by decoction, by boiling the stems, leaves and flowers in a pot of water, then often serving with honey and lemon.

Some plants in the genus have a history of use in traditional herbal medicine. [14] Research into the potential effects has taken place in universities in the Netherlands and in the southern Balkans where the plant is indigenous. [15]

Chemical constituents include diterpenoids and flavonoids. [16]

Cultivation

Sideritis raeseri is the most commonly cultivated Sideritis in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and North Macedonia, where advanced hybrids also exist. [5] Planting is recommended during two periods (October–November or February–March in the Northern hemisphere) and gathering in July, when in full bloom. The plant is typically dried before usage. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>Satureja</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Marrubium</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Bryonia</i> Genus of plants

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<i>Verbascum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Verbascum is a genus of over 450 species of flowering plants, common name mullein, in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. They are native to Europe and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean.

<i>Stachys</i> Genus of plants in the sage family

Stachys is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae. Estimates of the number of species vary from about 300, to about 450. Stachys is in the subfamily Lamioideae and its type species is Stachys sylvatica. The precise extent of the genus and its relationship to other genera in the subfamily are poorly known.

<i>Onopordum</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Origanum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Origanum is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in scattered locations in North America and other regions.

<i>Acanthus</i> (plant) Flowering plant genus in the Acanthaceae

Acanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. This flowering plant is nectar producing and is susceptible to predation by butterflies, such as Anartia fatima, and other nectar feeding organisms. Common names include Acanthus and bear's breeches. The generic name derives from the Greek term ἄκανθος (akanthos) for Acanthus mollis, a plant that was commonly imitated in Corinthian capitals.

<i>Ballota</i> Genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae

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<i>Betonica officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Micromeria</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Iris attica</i> Species of plant

Iris attica, the Greek iris, is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of the Balkans in Europe, within the countries of Greece, former Yugoslavia, Turkey and North Macedonia. It has sage green or grey-green leaves, that are sickle-shaped, a stout short stem and 2 variable flowers, in shades from yellow to purple. They have a white or blue beard. It is often called Iris pumila subsp attica, but is classified in most sources, as a separate species, although it is closely related to Iris pumila, as a possible parent plant. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<i>Tulipa orphanidea</i> Species of plant in the family Liliaceae

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<i>Ricotia</i> Genus of Brassicaceae plants

Ricotia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, found in the Aegean islands, Crete, the Levant, the Sinai peninsula, Turkey, and the Transcaucasus. They appear to have arisen in Anatolia, to which five species are endemic.

<i>Aquilegia ottonis</i> Species of flowering plant

Aquilegia ottonis is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family. It has a broad distribution in Europe; it is native to Greece, Italy, and Albania. Plants produce blue-purple flowers which, based on pollination syndromes, are thought to be pollinated by bumblebees. A. ottonis is named after King Otto of Greece; the specific epithet 'ottonis' is the third declension of 'otto'.

<i>Sideritis scardica</i> Species of flowering plant

Sideritis scardica, commonly called Greek mountain tea, is a flowering plant species native to Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Albania. It was first described in 1844.

<i>Odontarrhena</i> Genus of Brassicaceae plants

Odontarrhena is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae. They were originally a separate genus and then were amalgamated into the Alyssum genus, but then morphological and molecular evidence has reseperated them. Some of the genera are nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulators.

Sideritis elica is a plant species in the genus Sideritis, endemic to Bulgaria. The species was discovered and described by Associate Prof. Ina Aneva and Senior Assistant Prof. Georgi Bonchev of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as by Prof. Petar Zhelev of the University of Forestry in Sofia.

References

  1. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sideritis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sideritis (Genus)". Zipcodezoo.com. 2013-10-04. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Τσάϊτουβουνού: ανασκόπησητηςδιεθνούςβιβλιογραφίαςτουγένουςSideritis" (PDF). www.iama.gr. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  4. ↑ Barber, Janet C. (2000). "Evolution of Endemic Sideritis (Lamiaceae) in Macaronesia: Insights from a Chloroplast DNA Restriction Site Analysis". Systematic Botany. 25 (4): 633–647. doi:10.2307/2666725. JSTOR   2666725. S2CID   86223380.
  5. 1 2 3 "Greek Mountain Tea - Tsai tou Vounou - Shepherd's Tea". Greekfood.about.com. 2013-11-13. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  6. ↑ Itsiopoulos, Dr Catherine (2015-07-16). The Mediterranean Diet. Macmillan Publishers Aus. ISBN   978-1-74353-944-6.
  7. ↑ "οικολογια ασπροποταμος". Aspropotamos.org. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  8. ↑ Lindqvist, C.; Albert, V. A. (2002). "Origin of the Hawaiian endemic mints within North American Stachys (Lamiaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 89 (10): 1709–24. doi: 10.3732/ajb.89.10.1709 . PMID   21665597.
  9. ↑ such as Wikispecies, ITIS and ZipcodeZoo Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Ina Aneva. "Sideritis elica, a New Species of Lamiaceae from Bulgaria, Revealed by Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny". National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  11. ↑ Figuerola, R.; Stübing, G.; Peris, J. B. (1991). "Nomenclature and Typification of Sideritis angustifolia and S. tragoriganum (Lamiaceae, Spain)". Taxon. 40 (1): 123–9. doi:10.2307/1222936. JSTOR   1222936.
  12. ↑ "τσάι του βουνου γενικές πληροφορίες". Mylona.gr. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  13. ↑ Stephen Mifsud (2002-08-23). "Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Sideritis romana (Common Siderits)". Maltawildplants.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  14. ↑ Tadić, Vanja; Jeremic, Ivica; Dobric, Silva; Isakovic, Aleksandra; Markovic, Ivanka; Trajkovic, Vladimir; Bojovic, Dragica; Arsic, Ivana (2012). "Anti-inflammatory, Gastroprotective, and Cytotoxic Effects of Sideritis scardica Extracts". Planta Medica. 78 (5): 415–427. doi:10.1055/s-0031-1298172. PMID   22274814.
  15. ↑ González-Burgos, E.; Carretero, M.E.; Gómez-Serranillos, M.P. (2011). "Sideritis spp.: Uses, chemical composition and pharmacological activities—A review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 135 (2): 209–25. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.03.014. PMID   21420484.
  16. ↑ Villar, A; Recio, MC; Ríos, JL; Zafra-Polo, MC (1986). "Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from Sideritis species". Die Pharmazie. 41 (4): 298–9. PMID   3523549.
  17. ↑ "ΚΑΛΛΙΕΡΓΕΙΑ, ΑΥΤΟΦΥΗΕΙ∆ΗΚΑΙΒΕΛΤΙΩΣΗΣΤΟΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΤΣΑΙΤΟΥΒΟΥΝΟΥ(Sideritis L.)" (PDF). www.iama.gr. Retrieved 2021-04-03.

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