Medicinal And Aromatic Plants Xii

Deals with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture study, and in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in plants.

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants XII comprises 18 chapters. It deals with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in the following plants: Artemisia annua, Coriandrum sativum, Crataegus, Dionaea muscipula, Hyoscyamus reticulatus, Hypericum canariense, Leguminosae, Malva, Ocimum, Pergularia tomentosa, Phellodendron amurense, Sempervivum, Solanum aculeatissimum, S. chrysotrichum, S. kasianum, Stephania, Trigonella, and Vaccinium. It is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the fields of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biomedical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general.

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have accompanied mankind from its very early beginnings. Their utilization has co-evolved with homo sapiens itself bringing about a profound increase in our scientific knowledge of these species enabling them to be used in many facets of our life (e.g. pharmaceutical products, feed- and food additives, cosmetics, etc.). Remarkably, despite the new renaissance of MAPs usage, ca. 80 % of the world’s population is relying on natural substances of plant origin, with most of these botanicals sourced from the wild state. This first volume and ultimately the series, provides readers with a wealth of information on medicinal and aromatic plants.

This book covers interesting research topics and the use of natural resources for medical treatments in some severe diseases. The most important message is to have native foods which contain high amount of active compounds that can be used as a medicinal plant. Most pharmaceutical drugs were discovered from plants, and still ongoing research will have to predict such new active compounds as anti-diseases. I do believe this book will add significant knowledge to medical societies as well as can be used for postgraduate students.

This volume is aimed at offering an insight into the present knowledge of the vast domain of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with a focus on North America. In this era of global climate change the volume is meant to provide an important contribution to a better understanding of the diverse world of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant research, production and utilization.

Before the concept of history began, humans undoubtedly acquired life benefits by discovering medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) that were food and medicine. Today, a variety of available herbs and spices are used and enjoyed throughout the world and continue to promote good health. The international market is also quite welcoming for MAPs and essential oils. The increasing environment and nature conscious buyers encourage producers to produce high quality essential oils. These consumer choices lead to growing preference for organic and herbal based products in the world market. As the benefits of medicinal and aromatic plants are recognized, these plants will have a special role for humans in the future. Until last century, the production of botanicals relies to a large degree on wild-collection. However, the increasing commercial collection, largely unmonitored trade, and habitat loss lead to an incomparably growing pressure on plant populations in the wild. Therefore, medicinal and aromatic plants are of high priority for conservation. Given the above, we bring forth a comprehensive volume, “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Healthcare and Industrial Applications”, highlighting the various healthcare, industrial and pharmaceutical applications that are being used on these immensely important MAPs and its future prospects. This collection of chapters from the different areas dealing with MAPs caters to the need of all those who are working or have interest in the above topic.