Sinapis alba L. Seeds: Taxonomic and Ethnobotanical Aspects

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This chapter concisely presents the state of knowledge about the taxonomical and ethnobotanical aspects of the seeds of Sinapis alba L. (S. alba), known as white or yellow mustard, belonging to the famous Cruciferaceae (or Brassicaceae) family. It starts with an introduction to medicinal plants, the seeds of S. alba, and their benefits for humans. This is followed by the systematics and taxonomy of the seeds, which are very important for the identification and reconstruction of the phylogeny of spices. In addition, the physical description of the plant and seeds has also been explained in detail in this section. The main part of this chapter is devoted to the extraction methods used to prepare essential oils and/or crude extracts from S. alba seeds for chemical and biological valorization. The last part deals with the history and the ethnomedical uses of the seeds.