Herbs

These are deep-rooting plants which are generally beneficial to pastures. However, to be of any valrre they should be palatable, in no way harmful to stock, and they should not compete with other species in the sward. They have a high mineral content which may benefit the grazing animal. 

Yarrow, chicory, rib grass andbumet (Figs 19.24-19.27) are the most useful of the marty herbs which exist. They can be included in a seed mixture for a grazing 

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Lycorine (69) was recognized as a potent emetic and a moderately toxic base from the time of its initial isolation from Narcissus pseudonarcissus E. (in about 1877) (48). Since that time its isolation from many other AmaryUidaceae, for example, Lpcom radiate Herb., has served to estabUsh it as the most cosmopohtan alkaloid of the family. TypicaUy, as much as 1% of the dry weight of daffodil bulbs may consist of lycorine (69), which has been reported to... 

Materials for flavoring may be divided into several groups. The most common groupings are either natural or artificial flavorings. Natural materials include spices and herbs essential oils and thek extracts, concentrates, and isolates fmit, fmit juices, and fmit essence animal and vegetable materials and thek extracts and aromatic chemicals isolated by physical means from natural products, eg, citral from lemongrass and linalool from hois de rose. 

The most ancient uses of spices appear to be therapeutic in nature. The use of spices was common in China but tittle, if any, authentic Chinese records exist to confirm this. According to Chinese myths and legends, Shen Nung, the Divine Cultivator, founded Chinese medicine and discovered the curative powers of many herbs. He is said to have described more than 100 plants in a treatise reportedly written in 2700 BC. It has been shown, however, that no written language was available in China at that time. Although some of the herbal uses in the treatise go back several centuries BC, the work seems to have been produced by unknown authors in the first century AD. Other records on the use of cassia and ginger are known to have been written in the fifth and fourth centuries BC, in the latter case by Confucius. 

Spices and herbs can play an important indirect role in good nutrition. They are not high in nutrient values, but they help to increase the appeal and satisfaction of foods that are highly nutritious. Spices do contain fat, protein and carbohydrates, electrolytic minerals, iron and B vitamins, and others, but even the highest calorie spice, poppy seeds, contains only two to three calories per serving in normal use (12). 

Basil (Sweet Basil). Basil consists of the brown, dried leaves and tender stems of Ocimum basilicum L. (Labiatae), an aimual native to India, Africa, and Asia, and cultivated in Egypt, southern Erance, Morocco, the Mediteranean countries, and the United States. Basil is one of the oldest known herbs, and it is reported that there are perhaps 50—60 poorly defined Ocimum species which can only be identified according to their chemical components. The flavor of the basihcum type is warm, sweet, somewhat pungent, and pecuhar, ie, methyl chavicol and linalool. It is used with meats, fish, certain cheeses, and tomato-based salads. The fresh leaves are ground and known as pesto with pastas. It is the main component of the Hqueur Chartreuse. 

Celery Seed. Celery spice is the dried ripe fmit of y piumgraveolens L. (UmbeUiferae) a biennial, sometimes aimual, herb native to southern Europe and grown extensively in India, China, Mexico, and the United States. The seed is 0.42 cm long and brown. The odor of the seed is characteristic and warm and the taste somewhat bitter. It is used in tomato ketchup, sauces, soups, pickles, pastries, salads, and certain cheeses. 

Parsley (Parsley Flakes). The dried leaves of Petroselinum hortense syn. P. crispum (Mill) (UmbeUiferae), are from a hardy biennial, native to the Mediterranean region and now cultivated commercially in the United States and southern Europe. The aroma is green and the flavor is pleasant, characteristic, and nuld. Parsley is used for the seasoning of fish, meats, soups, salads, etc. Parsley seed, the dried ripe fmit of the parsley herb, has an aroma and flavor less pronounced than the leaves. 

Cleanliness Specifications for Unprocessed Spices, Seeds, and Herbs, American Spice Trade Association, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Aug. 1,1991. 

The most popular natural antioxidants on the market are rosemary extracts and tocopherols. Natural antioxidants have several drawbacks which limit use. Tocopherols are not as effective ia vegetable fats and oils as they are ia animal fats. Herb extracts often impart undesirable colors or flavors ia the products where used. In addition, natural antioxidants cost considerably more than synthetic ones. Despite this, the pubHc s uncertainty of the safety of synthetic antioxidants continues to fuel the demand for natural ones (21). 

Caraway Oil. Produced by steam distiUation of the cmshed ripe seeds of Carum carvi L., caraway oil finds extensive use in food flavors, alcohoHc Hqueurs, and cheeses. The smaU herb, which grows wild in many regions of the world, is extensively cultivated in the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, and parts of the former USSR. The Netherlands is the largest producer of the oil, which is offered commercially in two grades cmde or natural, and double-rectified or redistiUed. The former is the direct distiUate obtained from the fmits and is a pale yeUow-to-brownish mobile Hquid with a strong... 

The isomers of 1,3,5-undecatriene ia living plant volatiles are partly responsible for the unique, fresh natural-green character of the living herb. 

Essential Oils. Essential oils are produced by distillation of flowers, leaves, stems, wood, herbs, roots, etc. Distillations can be done directly or with steam. The technique used depends mosdy on the desired constituents of the starting material. Particular care must be taken in such operations so that undesired odors are not introduced as a result of pyrolytic reactions. This is a unique aspect of distillation processing in the flavor and fragrance industry. In some cases, essential oils are obtained by direct expression of certain fmits, particular of the citms family. These materials maybe used as such or as distillation fractions from them (see Oils, essential). 

In an important next step, it has been found that flowers and other plant parts can be analyzed by using head space techniques without removing them from the living plant (3). It was immediately observed that there are remarkable differences in the volatile compositions observed from Hve and picked flowers. This is exemplified for jasmine flowers in Table 3. Reconstitutions produced from this information have provided perfumers with novel and fresh notes for use in their creations. This technique continues to be appHed to many kinds and varieties of flowers, leaves (herbs, spices), and fmits. The reasons for the remarkable differences observed are not known. 

Chinese Herbal Medicines. Many traditional Chinese medicines have been screened for radioprotective activity in experimental animals. In one study of more than a thousand Chinese herbs, a number of agents increased the survival rate of dogs exposed to a lethal dose of y-rays by 30—40%, and some symptoms of radiation injury were ameHorated. These effects are potentially related to stimulation of the hemopoietic and immune systems (130). Extracts of five Chinese dmg plants, as weU as aspirin, effectively protected mice exposed to 7.5—8.0 Gy (750—800 rad) of y-radiation, and increased survival rates by 8—50% (131). Several Chinese traditional medicines, adininistered ip before or after irradiation, protected against Hpid peroxidation in a variety of mouse tissues, including BM, Hver, and spleen, as weU as in mouse Hver microsomal suspensions irradiated in vitro (132). 

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