General Overview of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Turkey

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are widely used in traditional foods, as food supplements or herbal medicines throughout history. Recently, MAPs are generally defined as plants that are used as drugs to prevent or cure diseases in order to maintain health and for other purposes. In general, MAPs used as food, herbal tea, supplementary food and medicine are obtained from nature or through cultivation. There is a worldwide trend of increased use MAPs, and although treating diseases with medicinal plants is more common in Far East countries, the trade of herbal medicinal products is a rising market in western societies. When we consider the trend of MAPs, Turkey is an important genetic center of many plant species thanks to its geographical location and genetic diversity. In addition, Turkey is a main partner of many countries that demand MAPs products for the world MAPs market. In this paper, the current situation of MAPs production in the world and Turkey are reviewed based on available data. In addition, this review touches upon Turkey’s historical, cultural and economic situation as well as the subsidies for and research and development (R&D) activities focused on MAPs. Finally, the opportunities, potential, problems and outlook in this area are described in order to inform future decisions about MAPs.