Common name: Summer savory

Latin name: Satureja hortensis L.

Description: Summer savory is an annual herbaceous medicinal plant of the Lamiales family with a thin root and a strongly branched four-edged stem up to 50 cm. high. The medicinal plant grows in warm places, mainly in our Black Sea coast and is cultivated all over Bulgaria. The leaves of the Savory are opposite in the spines, lanceolate to linear, acute, entire, covered with hairs. The flowers are bisexual, small, collected in 5-6 inflorescences, located at the base of the leaves. Petals are 5, violet or purple in color, tubular two-lipped, with the upper lip whole and the lower one three-parted. The fruit of the summer savory is hollow, and after ripening it breaks into 4 nuts. The seeds are round, small, brownish in color. The aromatic medicinal plant blooms from June to August.

Part of the herb used: herbs (Herba Saturejae), leaves (Folia Saturejae)

Harvest time: the aerial part of the summer savory is harvested during the flowering period. After flowering, the aroma of the leaves and stems weakens, so they are collected immediately before the end of the flowering. The collected material is dried in the shade at a temperature of up to 35 degrees.

Chemical composition/Contents and properties: Satureja has antispasmodic, bactericidal, astringent, antimicrobial and hypotensive effects. Fresh leaves contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, carotene and rutin (vitamin P). The herb contains essential oil, carvacrol, tannins, mucilage substances, phenols, flavonoids, niacin, terpenes, thymol, etc.

Medicinal action and application: Summer savory has been shown to have a good effect on flatulence, cough, bronchitis, liver and kidney problems, gastrointestinal distension, caries. The plant has a pain-relieving and strengthening effect, lowers high blood pressure. The leaves of the Satureja have a strong pleasant aroma and serve as a seasoning for many dishes in cooking. Summer savory and its oil are widely used in the food, meat processing and canning industries.

Possibilities to offer at the customer's request:

Vesselino Ltd. offers their customers the plant in the following varieties:

• Leaves (Folia Saturejae) - dried whole, crushed, cut to a certain size at the customer's request, ground into herbal powder/flour