Ecological Value, Cultivation and Utilization of Important Medicinal Plants (Sage, Oregano and Sideritis) in Greece

Abstract

The Greek territory provides an ideal environment for growing plants and herbs, which are to be found in abundance, flourishing on mountain sides, where they grow naturally. Medicinal plants are considered as important factors in sustainable development, environmental protection, and public health. The aim of this chapter is to present comprehensive information about the diversity, ecological value, cultivation, and utilization of the economically important medicinal plants such as Salvia sp., Origanum sp., and Sideritis sp., in Greece, stressing their medical-environmental and economical values. The utilization of our natural wealth together with the conservation of biodiversity is issues of paramount importance. Valuable aides to these appear to be the medicinal plants which play a crucial role in both these sectors. Another important fact we should keep in mind is the potential use of medicinal plants and their unconventional applications in sustainable agriculture, enhanced by the selective and multiple biological properties of their essential oils. Numerous and valuable uses are more than possible as the diversity of medicinal plants presents new sustainable opportunities—financial and environmental—for agriculture, and this should be the motive to boost further studies concerning the cultivation of medicinal plants.