Medicinal and Industrial Plants and Products

The broad diversity of medicinal plants and plant-based bioactive molecules with different chemical scaffolds, as well as their wide range of applications continues to inspire new research and insights into how they can be used to address health concerns.

Medicinal plants and herbal therapies have continued to draw interest and have become an established part of daily life despite the progress in manufactured medical and pharmaceutical industry product releases. Medicinal and aromatic plants supply the demand for natural chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, chemical additives, cosmetics, foods and teas, as well as alternative medicines, etc. This continued interest in medicinal and aromatic plants (herbs/shrubs/trees) and their capacity to offer both monetary and natural resource economical products is a vital part of the movement towards greener economics and life styles as well as sustainable development and poverty eradication.

In light of the advances in all areas of agricultural sciences and plant production/and genetic engineering as well as in the extraction and analytical technologies for determining quality parameters of plant-based products/by-products, it is increasingly important to disseminate that information in a consistent approach such as will be represented by this series. Volumes within the series will address industrial-scale production, of standardized, high quality products to best utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants resources.

Key features

• Covers the extensive variety of wild and cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants of the world

• Highlights recent technologies to increase productivity, yield and specific chemical compounds of commercially important plants, including biotechnological production options

• Addresses the link between plant secondary metabolites/active ingredients and the consumer health