The agricultural sector of medicinal (including plant stimulants) and aromatic plants is characterized by an enormous number and diversity of species. Only a few of them can be considered cultivated crops in which significant breeding efforts are made. For most species, however, breeding is performed in short-term projects only. Therefore, basic knowledge about these species is still fragmentary. Our intention is to compile and organize the available information on the most commonly utilized plant species into one publication, thereby providing a standardized resource for the researchers and the grower community. This book therefore provides reference source materials for a wide variety of plant species used for human consumption due to their flavor, medicinal or recreational properties. It is divided into a section of general topics on genetic resources, breeding adaptation of analytic methods and a compilation of basic data for DNA content, chromosome number and mating system followed by a section of 20 monographs on a species or species groups.

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.

The field of medicinal/aromatic plant breeding is growing and changing?this resource will help you stay up to date! In this essential book, researchers from large and small laboratories and institutions throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region explore recent developments in the selection and breeding of aromatic and medicinal plants. They take varied approaches?from traditional breeding to the use of molecular markers?and complement them with up-to-date information on biodiversity and resource conservation. From the editors: ?It is widely recognized that a strategy of `conservation through use,? by which plant collection via wild harvesting is replaced by controlled cultivation, is the best way forward if we are to balance human demands with the necessary conservation of the biodiversity represented by these species. That provides one major driving force for research in this field. Another concerns the very real need for improving the quality control of products on the market, both to satisfy consumer demand and to conform with the (justifiably) increasing requirements for standardization and precise identification of the composition of the plant materials being sold for human use. We hope that this volume will give readers a taste of the exciting developments in the field.? Breeding Research on Aromatic and Medicinal Plants examines: breeding for resistance and abiotic factors manipulating natural product accumulation through genetic engineering biochemical and molecular regulation of essential oil accumulation economic and legal considerations that breeders will encounter the ethical aspects of breeding these plants

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.

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 provides readers a fundamental understanding of the science and applications of medicinal and aromatic plant materials. Chapters of this handbook covers the basics of ethnobotany, (bio)active compounds and their natural sources. Information about the cosmetic, nutritional, medicinal and industrial uses (dyes, tannins and biocides) is also presented. Readers will also learn about concepts central to quality control processes, sustainable management, wild harvesting and the economic valuation of the industrial impact of endemic plants. The volume also presents a case study of the wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), which is helpful in explaining the above concepts. This book is intended as a handbook for undergraduate students and teaching professionals in research and higher education institutions involved in agricultural engineering, pharmacy, forestry, natural product chemistry. Non experts interested in aromatic and medicinal plant agriculture, transformation and commercialization will also find the content informative.