Production of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Cultivated in Turkiye

Abstract

Turkey is a country rich in terms of both plant endemism and genetic diversity due to its geographical structure. A variety of medicinal and aromatic plants include aniseed, cumin, laurel, poppy, rosemary, and thyme are cultivated in more than 40 provinces of Turkey. Most of the medicinal plants are usually cultivated in the Marmara, Mediterranean, Aegean, eastern Black Sea, and Southeastern Anatolia regions. Medicinal and aromatic plants have been used for therapeutic purposes since ancient times because they contain biologically active compounds such as flavonoids, saponins, terpenes, steroids, phenolics, and alkaloids are bioactive substances which cause the plants’ therapeutic value. Biotechnological approaches, like plant cell and tissue culture techniques, genetic engineering studies and CRISPR-Cas9 technology make in vitro production of a variety of pharmaceutics, such as alkaloids, amino acids, flavonoids, monoterpenes, saponins, steroids, and terpenoids possible, without having to collect plants from the wild. This chapter assesses medicinal and aromatic plants cultivated in Turkey and their secondary substances, and specific biotechnological methods used in the production of these secondary metabolites.