TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS: HISTORY, CULTIVATION AND MICROPROPAGATION

Abstract

Medicinal aromatic plants, which are source of secondary metabolites, have been used for treatmentand other purposes since ancient times. In recent years, people have preferred medicinal and aromaticherbs to be healthy. Plant tissue culture methods have the potential to produce medicinal compoundssuch as secondary metabolites from plants as an alternative to traditional agriculture. Increasingpopulation and increasing demand for herbal products, unconscious collection and illegal trade causethe extinction of medicinal plants in natural habitats. Therefore, it is important to cultivate medicinaland aromatic plants to protect biodiversity and endangered species.As a result, plant tissue culture methods are an alternative way for propagation of medically andeconomically important plants, the production of bioactive components for the pharmaceuticalindustry, and the production of medically important secondary metabolites.