Medicinal and aromatic plants play an important role in the pharmaceutical
sector, both in the phytotherapy aspect, as in the strictly medicinal significance.
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. The absorption can
be topical, oral or by inhalation. The second group includes all preventive and
therapeutic use of MAP or their active ingredients. Active principles from medicinal
plants are called phytopharmaceuticals, phytomedicines, herbal medicines or
botanicals. Current pharmacopoeia reached more than 7,000 compounds derived from
these plants. The uses of these substances include: 1) health care using natural
products; 2) The newer drugs against the challenges of the twenty-first century (cancer,
cholesterol, diabetes, dementia, depression, malaria, stress, etc.); 3) Essential oils used
in aromatherapy; and 4) compounds useful in the veterinary area. The main species
used in each of the previous four sections are introduced in this chapter.
Keywords: Aromatherapy, Cancer, Dementia, Depression, Diabetes, Essential
oils, Fatigue, Herbal medicines, Hypercholesterolemia, Malaria, Menopause,
Natural antibiotics, Natural products, Pharmaceuticals, Phytotherapy, Stress.
