ISHS Acta Horticulturae 330: WOCMAP I - Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Conference: part 4 of 4
PREFACE |
| Authors: | P. Dr. J. Bernáth, D. L. E. Craker, Dr. A. Levy |
| Abstract:
The renaissance of interest in medicinal and aromatic plants is a prominent phenomenon of our age. We must realize, however, that in the majority of the world the utilization of these drugs had never declined. Understanding this contradiction, the secretary general of the International Society for Horticultural Science, Mr. H.H. van der Borg, and the president of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Section, Prof. Dr. P. Tétényi fostered a dream some years ago. A dream of commemorating the 500th anniversary of Colombus' voyage to America by gathering together the world's specialists in medicinal and aromatic plants to discuss on the behalf of human welfare the benefits of these plant systems. Of course, such utopian dreams only become reality after overcoming many obstacles. At times the idea seemed great, but almost impossible. Yet, the need for such a gathering was obvious and at the opening of the First World Congress on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for Human Welfare in Maastricht no one doubted the importance. People from many continents presented lectures and posters, participated in workshops and shared in "round-table" discussions. Over the course of 5 days, recommendations for action and policy were developed and formalized to stress the importance of the subject material in commerce and health. The many significant presentations were collected for publication in 4 volumes of Acta Horticulturae, being justified by the high level of science. The volumes, titled "Botanical Aspects, Genetic Resources, Genetics, Breeding, and Biotechnology" (AH 330), "Raw Material Production and Product Introduction" (AH 331), "Pharmacology, Phytotherapy, Human Welfare, and Regional Aspects" (AH 332), and "Quality, Industrial Aspects, and Economical aspects" (AH 333) represent the collective research and study efforts of individuals and institutions concerned about the use and protection of medicinal and aromatic plant material. Being charged with the editorial work of the first volume is a great honour. We have, with the cooperation of the Society headquarters (especially E.P. van Tiel), assembled the manuscripts prepared by scientists of 23 countries. Of the 38 articles in this volume, 10 express concern about the natural habitats of medicinal and aromatic plants, a subject that supports the long-standing efforts of ISHS in this area. In the second and third parts of this volume, 8 articles involve chemotaxonomic uses and genetic aspects of medicinal and aromatic plants, continuing the thrust of previous work supported by ISHS for many years. Theoretical and practical concerns about selection and breeding of medicinal and aromatic plants, stated in 10 articles, signify the importance this area of study is gaining in the world. The final 10 articles, published under the subtitle of biotechnology, highlight the emphasis now being placed in this area of science. Reports from scientists in the Ukraine and Russia are included even though economic considerations prevented them from participating at Maastricht. In the course of the editorial work, the original authors were charged with scientific responsibility for their material. All manuscripts have been reviewed by a member of the editorial board, but were accepted in original typed form. Some manuscripts were slightly modified, according to our best intentions, to remove typing errors and improve readability. Thanks to the great efforts of the authors only a small percentage of the material needed extensive correction. We hope this volume of Acta Horticulturae, "Botanical Aspects, Genetic Resources, Genetics, Breeding, and Biotechnology", will be useful to a wide audience and stand as an accomplishment of a very successful congress on medicinal and aromatic plants.
Many thanks to the organizers for bringing to life this First World Congress and for helping to ensure the publication of this volume. | |
