*3.1. Mineral, Chlorophyll and Nutritional Content*

The results of the nutritional analysis of the aerial parts of *S. perfoliata* are demonstrated in Table 1. This species has a high nutritional value, with 14.64% of protein which is higher than numerous edible species which also form part of the Lamiaceae family. Like the majority of *Sideritis* species, it is rich in micronutrients as previously described when compared to the potassium, phosphorus and magnesium content of *S. scardica* or *S. raeseri* [31,32]. Mineral content of *S. perfoliata* might vary after application of different cultivation practices and multiple harvest at a commercial farm [32].

**Table 1.** Mineral analysis, nutritional value and chlorophyll content of aerial plant tissue. Data are presented as the mean of six replicates ± SD.


The total Chlorophyll content in the aerial parts of *S. perfoliata* was 0.986 ± 0.06 mg/g of fresh tissue (0.779 and 0.189 mg/g for Chlorophyll a and b respectively). The Chlorophyll content of *S. perfoliata* compared well with the Chlorophyll content in other Lamiaceae species. In a study by Chrysargyris et al. reported the total Chlorophyll content of sage and lavender which were 1.18 and 1.08 mg/g fresh weight (fw) respectively [13].
