In vitro culture and production of secondary metabolites in Centella asiatica

Abstract

Plants are ever a valuable source of secondary metabolite which is used for curing various diseases whether it is mild or chronic. Due to huge medicinal importance of plants, studies on plants have been focused worldwide. Centella asiatica is an important medicinal plant, used as brain tonic all over the world. In a broad spectrum application of Centella asiatica, it has been listed in threatened species. The rapid depletion and high demands of their bioactive molecules feel the necessity for their conservation. In vitro culture and micropropagation are basic tools for conserving this medicinal plant and for production of secondary metabolites. In the present book chapter, we focused on conservation of C. asiatica through in vitro culture, production of secondary metabolites and strategies employed for the enhancement of secondary metabolites through manipulation in culture media, effect of growth regulators and elicitation.