Herbal teas from different origin and their essential oil composition

Plants are the source of practically all the beverages - non-alcoholic or alcoholic - consumed by mankind. They provide flavor, color, and aroma for endless variety and pleasure, and they provide nutrients and natural constituents for health. Interest in natural drugs has generated a wide range of commercial products which may contain plant tissue or plant extracts and be used for treatment of medical problems. Herbal drinks (as decoctions or infusions) are aqueous preparations made with boiling water and medicinal plant material or boiling water and a mixture of tea and medicinal plant material. The use of herbal teas for health care generally requires caution, positive plant identity, identification of the natural substances and professional advice. Today most health food stores offer a wide variety of herbal teas. The chamomile, peppermint and sage teas from different origin taken for medicinal purposes are described under the content and composition of their essential oils. The essential oils of these teas were extracted by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). Such a wide variation in essential oil composition may be a result of the environmental conditions, or a result of including plant parts in herbal drinks, but may also suggest the presence of different chemo-types of these plant raw-materials. Consumers should be aware that different herbal teas with different origin may have different composition and possibly different flavor, aroma, color or antioxidant activity.