44 RESEARCH REGARDING THE NUTRITION SPACE, SEEDS GERMINATION AND FREE COMPOUNDS IN MELISSA OFFICINALIS L. SPECIES Dan I. Vârban, Carmen Socaciu, Marcel M. Duda, Rodica Vârban, Sorin Muntean University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Contact e-mail dan_varban@yahoo.com Key words: nutrition space, germination, seedling, free compounds, Melissa officinalis L. Abstract: Its scientific name, Melissa, derives from the greek word Melitta, which means bee and makes so reference to the bees atraction toward its flower and produced honey quality. The prime material used are the leaves (Melissae folium) or the entire plant (the aerial part) (Melissae herba), which contain: volatile oil (0,05 - 0,3%), tanin, rozmarinic acid (4%), triterpene, flavonoizi etc. The age influences the germinative faculty only in the case of seeds which were put to germinate at temperatures between 20-30 0 C, when the results are very significant. the highest herba production was obtained at variant with 60 cm between rows and 30 cm between plants on row resulting a density of 55.555 pl/ha. Extraction in propilenglicol:water allows the obtaining of a more concentrated product. Introduction Mellisa is known since ancient time (I en century), the first who describe it is Elade`a doctor, Dioscoride-Pedanios, who mentioned several terapeutical features. Scientific research refarding mellisa begins in the XVI th century, when it appears for the first time “melisa water”, and in the year 1582, at Frankfurt on Main, it was obtained melisa oil (Oleum melissae). Its scientific name, Melissa, derives from the greek word Melitta, which means bee and makes so reference to the bees atraction toward its flower and produced honey quality. The plant is originar from the east of Mediterranean area and West Asia. It grows in the spontaneous flora of many countries, but is also cultivated a lot in the west (especially in Spain and France), the centre (south and east of Germany) and East of Europe. Melissa officinalis L. is a perennial plant, maintained in culture for 5 - 7 years. Its flavor is aromatic, like the lemon flavor (very obviously at fresh leaves beaten), and the taste is aromatic and a little bit bitter. The prime material used are the leaves (Melissae folium) or the entire plant (the aerial part) (Melissae herba), which contain: volatile oil (0,05 - 0,3%), tanin, rozmarinic acid (4%), triterpene, flavonoizi etc. The vegetal product is recommended to treat digestive problems with a nervous origin, cardiac diseases phsyhosomatic, head aches. The leaves are used to prepare tea: anticolitic , aromatic, laxative. The volatile oil from Melissa is considered one of the most apreciated and expensice essence in parfumes and cosmetic industry. Melisa is a valuable melliferous plant, it is very rich in nectar (150 kg/ha), being a plant desired by the bees. brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk