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Lemon verbena
Lemon verbena (or Lemon beebrush, Aloysia triphyllaArmada, J. & A. Barra. 1992. On Aloysia Palau (Verbenaceae). Taxon 41:8890.) is a deciduous perennial shrub native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. This plant was brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 17th century.
Growth
It grows to a height of 3 to 7 metres and exudes a powerful lemony scent. It prefers full sun, a lot of water, and a light loam soil. It is sensitive to cold, losing leaves at temperatures below 0C although the wood is hardy to -10C. Lemon verbena, if covered with some straw, cut down and kept free from very moist conditions, will also withstand up to a -15C frost and will make new leaves in spring. The light green leaves are lancet-shaped, and its tiny flowers bloom lavender or white in August or September.
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 and can be used to make a sorbet. In addition, it has anti-Candida albicans activity."Anti-Candida activity of Brazilian medicinal plants" , TEIXEIRA DUARTE Marta Cristina et al., Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2005, vol. 97, no2, pp. 305-311
In European Union, Verbena essential oils (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).
Chemical constitutents
The major isolates in lemon verbena oil are citral (30-35%), nerol and geraniol. Lawless, J., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, ISBN 1-85230-661-0
Synonyms
Synonyms for Lemon Verbena are Verbena triphylla L'Her., Verbena citriodora Cav., Lippia triphylla, Lippia citriodora, and Aloysia citriodora (Cav.) Ort.
Also referred to as "Hierba Luisa" in Spain, and "Louisa" or "Louiza" in Algeria and Morocco.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Lemon verbena
