Contents; Chapter 1: Introduction: Utilization/Significance of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants; 1 Introduction; 1.1 Notion of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs); 1.2 A Historical Glimpse at MAPs Use; 2 Medicinal and Pharmacological Applications of MAPs; 2.1 Traditional Medicine; 2.2 Phytotherapy; 2.2.1 Herbal Medicinal Products (HMP); 2.3 Aromatherapy; 2.3.1 Renaissance of Essential Oils; 2.4 Balneology and Mineral Therapy; 2.5 Homeopathy; 2.6 Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare; 3 Industrial Utilizations; 3.1 Pharmaceutical Industry; 3.2 Food and Feed Additives. 3.3 Dietary Supplements Versus Nutraceuticals3.4 Cosmetic Industry; 4 Drug Discovery; 5 Conclusion; References; Chapter 2: Botanical Aspects of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants; 1 Introduction: MAPs in the History of Botanical Sciences; 2 Botanical Aspects of MAPs; 2.1 Plant Morphology; 2.2 Plant Physiology; 2.2.1 Primary and Secondary Metabolism; 2.3 Plant Systematics and Taxonomy; 2.3.1 Taxonomic Value of Secondary Metabolites; 3 Vegetation Science Versus the Sourcing of Botanicals; 4 Sustainable Management of MAP Resources Save Plants That Save Lives. 4.1 Methods and Standards for Sustainability4.1.1 International Standard on Sustainable Wild Collection of MAPs (ISSC-MAP); 4.1.2 Guidelines for Good Agricultural (and Collection) Practice of MAPs (GA(C)P; 4.1.3 FairWild/FairTrade; 5 Botanical Aspects of MAPs in Wild-Crafting; 5.1 Knowledge of the Plant Habitats; 5.2 Determination of Plant Parts to Be Collected; 5.3 Determination of Harvesting Time; 5.4 Determination of the Appropriate Method of Gathering; 6 From Wild Plants to Cultivated Species Domestication and Introduction into Cultivation of MAPs. 6.1 Essential Tasks of Plant Domestication6.2 Input of Modern Botanical Sciences; 7 Scope of Heredity and Variability in MAPs; 8 Productivity of MAPs Under the Influence of Environment; 9 Botanical Sciences and Quality Control in MAPs; 10 Conclusions; References; Chapter 3: Chemical Diversity of Medicinal Plants; 1 Introduction; 2 Primary Metabolites; 2.1 Carbohydrates; 2.2 Lipids; 2.3 Some Other Primary Metabolites (Miscellaneous); 3 Secondary Metabolites; 3.1 Phenolic Compounds; 3.1.1 Simple Phenolics; 3.1.2 Naphtoquinones; 3.1.3 Anthraquinones as Laxatives; 3.1.4 Flavonoids; 3.1.5 Tannins. 3.1.6 Coumarines3.1.7 Lignans; 3.2 Terpenoids; 3.2.1 Monoterpenes; 3.2.2 Iridoids; 3.2.3 Sesquiterpenes; 3.2.4 Diterpenes; 3.2.5 Triterpenes; 3.2.6 Steroids; 3.2.7 Tetra- and Polyterpenes; 3.3 Alkaloids; 3.3.1 Ornithine-Derived Alkaloids; 3.3.2 Lysine-Derived Alkaloids; 3.3.3 Phenylalanine and Tyrosine-Derived Alkaloids; 3.3.4 Indole Alkaloids; Loganiaceae Family; Rubiaceae Family; Apocynaceae Family; 3.3.5 Imidazole Alkaloids; 3.3.6 Glycine Derived Alkaloids; 3.3.7 Terpene Alkaloids; 3.4 Other Nitrogen and Heteroatom Containing Compounds; 4 Conclusions; References.

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.