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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Winter Savory
| image = Satureja montana2.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Lamiaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Satureja]]''
| species = '''''S. montana'''''
| binomial = ''Satureja montana''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''Winter savory''' (''Satureja montana'') is a perennial [[flowering plant]] in the family [[Lamiaceae]], native to warm temperate regions of southern [[Europe]].
It is a semi-evergreen, semi-woody [[subshrub]] growing to 50 cm tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite, oval-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long and 5 mm broad. The [[flower]]s are white.
===Cultivation and uses===
Easy to grow, it makes an attractive border plant for any culinary herb garden. It requires six hours of sun a day in soil that drains well.
Winter savory is now little used, but for hundreds of years both it and [[Summer savory]] have been grown and used, virtually side by side. Both have strong spicy flavour.
In cooking, winter savory has a reputation for going very well with both beans and meats, very often lighter meats such as [[chicken#Chickens as food|chicken]] or [[domesticated turkey#Turkeys as food|turkey]], and can be used in stuffing. It has a strong flavour while uncooked but loses much of its flavour under prolonged cooking. It may also be used medicinally, it is a stimulant, and is also a known aphrodisiac.
Medicinal Uses
Antiseptic; Aromatic; Carminative; Digestive; Expectorant; Stings; Stomachic.
"Winter savory is most often used as a culinary herb, but it also has marked medicinal benefits, especially upon the whole digestive system[254]. The plant has a stronger action than the closely related summer savory, S. hortensis[254]. The whole herb, and especially the flowering shoots, is mildly antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, mildly expectorant and stomachic[4, 7, 9, 14, 21]. Taken internally, it is said to be a sovereign remedy for colic and a cure for flatulence[4], whilst it is also used to treat gastro-enteritis, cystitis, nausea, diarrhoea, bronchial congestion, sore throat and menstrual disorders[9, 238]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. A sprig of the plant, rubbed onto bee or wasp stings, brings instant relief[4, K]. The plant is harvested in the summer when in flower and can be used fresh or dried[238]. The essential oil forms an ingredient in lotions for the scalp in cases of incipient baldness[7]. An ointment made from the plant is used externally to relieve arthritic joints[7]." (Taken from [http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Satureja+montana Plants for a Future, pfaf.org].)
Chemical Constituents: Carvacrol (30 - 75%), thymol (1.0 - 5.0%), p-cymene (10 - 20%), gamma-terpineol (2.0 - 10%), 1,8-cineole (3.8%), borneol (12.5%), a-terpineol (2.5%)
[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
{{vegetable-stub}}