THE BRAZILIAN VEGETATION Approximately two thirds of the biological diversity of the world is found in tropical zones, mainly in developing countries. Brazil is considered the country with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, with nearly 55,000 native species distributed over six major biomes (Fig 1): Amazon (30,000); Cerrado (10,000); Caatinga (4,000); Atlantic rainforest (10,000), Pantana...

In this contribution, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) has been employed to isolate bioactive compounds from three native Romanian plants, oregano (Origanum vulgare), tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) and wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum). Different PLE conditions have been tested including extraction with water, ethanol and their mixtures in a wide range of extraction temperatures (50-200°C), an...

Vetiver is a tall, tufted, perennial, scented grass with a straight stem, long narrow leaves and a lacework root system that is abundant, complex and extensive. Vetiver has versatile uses, particularly as an inexpensive yet effective and eco-friendly tool to combat soil erosion. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) are two related groups of plants having in their part chemical constituents which...

India, with its diverse agro-climatic conditions and regional topography, has been considered as the treasure house or botanical garden of plant genetic resources. Hence, India is recognized as one of the world’s top 12 mega diversity nations. Our herbal wealth constitutes more than 8,000 species and accounts for around 50 % of all higher flowering plant species of India; around 70 % of the med...