Germplasm screening of Myrtus communius Var. Italica l. for cultivar development from dir lower (Malakand Division), Pakistan

Abstract

Habb-ul-Aas is a commercial drug obtained from Myrtus communis L and widely used for abdominal disorders in Pakistan. This sclerophyllous shrub is commonly found in the Lower Dir, Malakand Division, Pakistan. This plant is used as crude drug in herbal as well as pharmaceutical industry due to presence of aromatic oil obtained from various parts of the plant. Two varieties viz., italic and baetica of the plant exist in the world; however, no study reported before about the existence of this species up to the varietal level from Pakistan. The current study was undertaken to characterize the existing germplasm by using certain morphometric parameters in relation to physiognomic features. They exhibit high variability among characters, especially for characteristics useful in selecting cultivars for commercial production. Among the various ecotypes, MBT3 possessed high shoot length (29.96cm), leaf area (2.3cm), fruit volume (0.97ml) & fruit weight (0.88g) and pulp (0.87g) and therefore recommended for the cultivar development.

AN OVERVIEW ON THE PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF Myrtus Communis L.

“…If you eat it before drinking alcohol or drink its juice in a small amount, then intoxication does not occur. (Aidi Wannes et al, 2010) If the seeds are cooked in olive oil and applied to the body, sweating stops (Rahim et al, 2022). Due to its effervescent properties, the pimples do not come out after being burnt by fire and this is what the ointment prepared from the oil of Habb-ul-Aas does.'…”