''Peucedanum ostruthium'' or ''Imperatoria ostruthium'', masterwort, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

. It is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, but has been widely introduced outside its native range.

Distribution

Masterwort is native to the mountains of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

, including the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, northern Apennines,

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

and isolated occurrences in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. It has, however, been widely introduced and cultivated and its native range is therefore not entirely clear.

Use

Masterwort is used as a flavouring for various liqueurs and

bitters Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now ar ...

. Its roots and leaves have been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally (as tea, liqueurs and wine) and externally (as fumigation, tincture or incense) for treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, infections, fever, flu and colds.

Chemical constituents

The plant is a source of

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...

s, including oxypeucedanin, ostruthol,

imperatorin Imperatorin is a furocoumarin and a phytochemical that has been isolated from ''Urena lobata'' L. (Malvaceae), ''Angelica archangelica'', '' Angelica dahurica'', '' Glehnia littoralis'', '' Saposhnikovia divaricata'', ''Cnidium monnieri'', '' Incar ...

osthole Osthol, or osthole, is a chemical compound which is a derivative of coumarin. It is found in a variety of plants including ''Cnidium monnieri'', ''Angelica archangelica'' and ''Angelica pubescens ''Angelica pubescens'' is a plant in the family A ...

, isoimperatorin and ostruthin.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q202532 ostruthium Edible Apiaceae Flora of Europe Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus