Cultivation and High Capitalization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in the Romanian-

Abstract

Nowadays, in a world with rapidly growing population, the utilization of the available natural resources in a best possible way is obviously of highest priority. Significant part of the natural resources for a given region is the local biodiversity. Being in a climatically favorable environment, the cross-border area Romania - Bulgaria has a rich variety of plants with high potential not only in pharmacology and cosmetics but in many other fields. That is why, the project ”MedPlaNet - medicinal plant network for enhancement of the comparative advantage of Calarasi - Silistra cross-border area for sustainable development” developed an Oracle data base (http://medplanet.dbioro.eu) which includes a phyto-chemical screening of spontaneous and cultivated medicinal plants in the region, physical and chemical characteristics of the soils, technologies used for cultivation, harvesting and processing these herbs but also statistic studies about the use of medicinal and aromatic plants by the local population in both countries. The biologically active compounds identified in the medicinal plants are used in new formula of natural products as generators of new technologies for production and services, offering a chance for developing sound economy based on knowledge with high added value.