Peppermint (Mentha × piperita L) is a perennial, glabrous and strongly scented herb belongs to the family Lamiaceae. It is cultivated in a temperate region of Europe, Asia, United States, India and Mediterranean countries due to their commercial value and distinct aroma. In addition to traditional food flavouring uses, M. × piperita is well recognized for their traditional use to treat fever, cold, digestive, anti‐viral, anti‐fungal and oral mucosa and throat inflammation. The scientific studies provide awareness on the use of M. × piperita for biological effects such as anti‐oxidant, anti‐microbial, anti‐viral, anti‐inflammatory, biopesticidal, larvicidal, anticancer, radioprotective effect, genotoxicity and anti‐diabetic activity have been ascribed. A wide spectrum of bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids, phenolics lignans and stilbenes and essential oils are expected to be responsible for the aroma effects. In this sense, this present review provides an extensive overview of the traditional medicinal, phytochemical and multiple biological activities of this “Peppermint.”

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The essential oil content in the inflorescence of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) cultivated in the mid hills of Uttarakhand was found to be 2.8 % based on the fresh weight. The oil was analysed by capillary GC and GC- MS. Thirty seven constituents, representing 97.81 % of the oil were identified. The major components of the oil were linalyl acetate (47.56 %), linalool (28.06 %), lavandulyl acetate (4.34 %) and ?-terpineol (3.75 %). The quality of lavender oil produced in India was found to be comparable to that produced in Hungary, France, China, Bulgaria, Russia and the USA.

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A protocol for induction and establishment of Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root cultures of Picrorhiza kurroa was developed through optimization of the explant type and the most suitable bacterial strain. The infection of leaf explants with the LBA9402 strain resulted in the emergence of hairy roots at 66.7% relative transformation frequency. Nine independent, opine and TL-positive hairy root clones were studied for their growth and specific glycoside (i.e., kutkoside and picroside I) productivities at different growth phases. Biosynthetic potentials for the commercially desirable active constituents have been expressed by all the tested hairy root clones, although distinct inter-clonal variations could be noted in terms of their quantity. The yield potentials of the 14-P clone, both in terms of biomass as well as individual glycoside contents (i.e., kutkoside and picroside I), superseded that of all other hairy root clones along with the non-transformed, in vitro-grown control roots of P. kurroa. The present communication reports the first successful establishment, maintenance, growth and selection of superior hairy root clone of Picrorhiza kurroa with desired phyto-molecule production potential, which can serve as an effective substitute to its roots and thereby prevent the indiscriminate up-rooting and exploitation of this commercially important, endangered medicinal plant species.

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SummaryHyoscyamus albus hairy roots with/without an exogenous gene (11 clones) were established by inoculation of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. All clones cultured under iron deficient condition secreted riboflavin from root tips into the culture medium and the productivity depended on the number and size of root tips among the clones, although the addition of sucrose was essential for riboflavin production. A decline of pH was observed before riboflavin production and root development using either a root tip or propagated roots: propagated roots were employed for further work due to their lesser variation.Additions of proton-pump inhibitors, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) at 100 and 10 μM and erythrosine B at 100 μM, suppressed the pH decline at 100 and 10 μM accompanied by inhibition of riboflavin secretion and root growth; at 10 μM of erythrosine B, pH decline occurred with a moderate delay, but both growth and riboflavin efflux were inhibited. Neither inhibition of the pH decline nor riboflavin production was observed at 1 μM. To examine the necessity of acidification and riboflavin secretion by the roots themselves, artificial pH reduction of culture medium with organic acids and the addition of exogenous riboflavin with/without pH reduction were performed. When hairy roots were cultured in iron-deficient medium acidified with citric acid (pH 4.0) or malic acid (pH 3.7), pH increased rapidly to around 5 overnight, following which riboflavin production and root growth occurred. Addition of riboflavin did not affect riboflavin secretion by the roots, but acidification with citric acid (pH 4.0) helped achiever greater riboflavin production and earlier pH elevation. These results indicate that riboflavin efflux does not directly connected to active pH reduction, and more significantly active riboflavin secretion occurs by internal requirement in H. albus hairy roots under iron deficiency.