Quality from the field: The impact of environmental factors as quality determinants in medicinal plants

• Published in: South African journal of botany Vol. 82; pp. 11 - 20
• Main Authors: Ncube, B., Finnie, J.F., Van Staden, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2012
• Subjects: chemical compounds; Environment; environmental factors; environmental impact; food industry; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; metabolites; Phytomedicine; Quality; Secondary metabolite; Stress factors; Stress factors; Environment; Secondary metabolite; Quality; Phytomedicine
• ISSN: 0254-6299; 1727-9321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2012.05.009

Plants have been used extensively in both pharmaceutical and food industries, with consumers showing increasing interests in these products. Phytomedicines exploit a pool of biogenic resources produced by plants. However, the quality and quantity of these chemical metabolites in plants are influenced by a multitude of factors, chief among them, environmental. This review provides an overview of plant-produced chemical compounds with medicinal properties and how their production is affected by different environmental factors. An insight into how these factors can be manipulated within the plants' growing environments as a way of ensuring quality is also discussed. ► Environmental factors are one of the major determinants of plant secondary metabolites. ► Phytomedicines exploit this pool of biogenic resources in plants. ► Environmental factors can be manipulated to influence the secondary metabolite pool in plants to ensure quality in phytomedicine.