This week we talk about Myrtus communis, the common myrtle. Widespread across the Mediterranean into Asia, myrtle appears in Greco-Roman mythology and Jewish tradition; in fact the reason it is the topic this week follows from association with the recent festival of Succot (Tabernacles) where sprigs of “Hadas” are used ritually alongside the Etrog (citron, Leaf 31 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/green-mountain-biotech_cosmetic-medicinal-traditionalchinesemedicine-activity-6986554237090467840-oprk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop)and Lulav (palm frond, Leaf 49 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/green-mountain-biotech_rspo-ecocert-palmoil-activity-6989145455620157441-E0sP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop),both presented recently.
The fragrance of myrtle leaves is in the“essential oils” that may be extracted using solvents or by steam distillation. Major components are the terpenoid esters geranyl acetate, with a smell of roses and lavender, and myrtenyl acetate, smelling of resin. There are also many other volatile components giving myrtle its characteristic smell.
#Esters are condensates of fatty acids and hydroxyl compounds. The most common are the acyl glycerides in oils and fats. Small esters are volatile and thus important flavour/odour compounds. Some ubiquitous examples are ethyl acetate (fruity), propyl-acetate (pears), pentyl-acetate(banana) and benzyl acetate (flowers).
Myrtle extracts have a long history of medicinal use. Its effectiveness is attributed to antioxidative, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective activities (Alipour et al, 2014).
Kim et al. (2018) have reported promisingresults using myrtle oil to treat acne. This is particularly interesting to us at Green Mountain Biotech as we also produce botanical ingredients for acne treatment, though ours are from other plants, and water extractions rather than essential oils. Despite the competition, we welcome the diversity of botanicals available for acne and other ailments.
Quiz: Who understands the connectionbetween this leaf’s title and the cover picture?
Further reading
Alipour, Ghazal et al. (2014). Review of pharmacological effects of Myrtus communis L. and its activeconstituents. Phytotherapy research 28(8), 1125–1136. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5122
