MEDICINAL PLANTS: SECONDARY METABOLITIES, UTILIZATION, HUMAN HEALTH-I

Medicinal and aromatic plants; They are plants that have many uses such as food, medicine, cosmetics and spices, and have been used for similar purposes since the beginning of human history. Hippocrates, also known as the “father of medicine”, said, “Make food your medicine, and your medicine your food.” While some of the plants in question are collected from nature, some are cultivated and produced. However, a significant part of the plants used for therapeutic purposes are collected from nature. The most striking and researched features of medicinal and aromatic plants are their use for therapeutic purposes. Treatment with plants is used in many countries of the world, especially in underdeveloped countries, under different names such as traditional treatment, complementary treatment, natural treatment. In parallel with the consumption of medicinal and aromatic plants in many different areas and branches of industry, the world trade volume of these plants is increasing day by day. With the growth of trade volume and increasing demand, efforts to increase the production opportunities of medicinal plants are also accelerating.