A Comparative Analysis of the Nutritive Content of Wild and Cultivated Populations of the Edible Plant Blue Mint Bush (Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam.)

Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam., commonly known as mountain basil, is an edible and medicinal plant that has been utilized in Türkiye, Iran, Asia, and Middle Eastern countries for various purposes. This study aimed to assess the nutritive content of five distinct populations of Z. clinopodioides Lam. under both wild-growing and cultivated conditions. Macro elements Ca, K, Mg, Na, micro elements Fe, Mo, Zn, Cu, Mn as well as heavy metals As, Co, Pb identified. On average, the macro elemental content of the samples decreased in the following order: Na>K>Ca>Mg. When comparing wild growing plants with cultivated one, K, Mg and Na content of populations higher than cultivated counterparts. The micro elemental content of the samples decreased in the following order: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Mo for both wild growing and cultivated populations. The results of study revealed that the elemental content of Z. clinopodioides exhibit nearly identical qualitative compositions of nutritive elements for cultivation and wild growing plants.