The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide.

Background: A plant-based diet protects against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases. Dietary plants contain variable chemical families and amounts of antioxidants. It has been hypothesized that plant antioxidants may contribute to the beneficial health effects of dietary plants.

Harvest regimen optimization and essential oil production in five tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) genotypes under a northern climate.

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) was cultivated at the Norwegian Crop Research Institute at the Apelsvoll Research Centre, Division Kise, in the period from 2000 to 2001. The study focused on different harvesting regimens for high biomass production and essential oil (EO) yield and quality.

Effect of harvest time and drying method on biomass production, essential oil yield, and quality of peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.).

In the period from 2000 to 2002, studies on peppermint (Mentha x piperita) herb and essential oil (EO) production have been conducted at Planteforsk, Apelsvoll Research Centre Div. Kise in Norway. The trials were aimed at finding the optimal harvest date and suitable drying methods to maximize EO yield and to obtain a desirable oil quality.

Chemotypical variation of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) from 40 different locations in Norway.

Between 2001 and 2002, plant collections from wild populations of Norwegian tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) were studied with a focus on essential oil (EO) yield and composition in order to characterize the chemotypical EO variability. Tansy collections of 40 different locations from North, Mid-, and South Norway were transplanted to the Apelsvoll Research Centre Div.

Several culinary and medicinal herbs are important sources of dietary antioxidants.

We assessed the contribution of culinary and medicinal herbs to the total intake of dietary antioxidants. Our results demonstrate that there is more than a 1000-fold difference among antioxidant concentrations of various herbs. Of the dried culinary herbs tested, oregano, sage, peppermint, garden thyme, lemon balm, clove, allspice and cinnamon as well as the Chinese medicinal herbs Cinnamomi cortex and Scutellariae radix all contained very high concentrations of antioxidants (i.