Special issue: Health promoting activities of phytochemicals

Abstract

Traditionally, horticultural research has concentrated on plant biochemistry and physiology, agricultural aspects, crop resistance to diseases, and so on. However, all plants contain many and various phytochemicals, with diverse biological activities. Throughout most of human history, before the development of the conventional pharmaceutical industry, herbal extracts containing these bioactive molecules were used to treat various diseases and symptoms. Herbal substances have also inspired the development of conventional medicines, with some of these medicines requiring a doctor’s prescription. The process of discovering plant substances with medical activities is long and multistaged, and is based on both ethnobotanical knowledge and experimental evidence. Due to the development of new areas of science, scientists have gained better understanding regarding the potential of plants beyond these classical research areas. This is why horticultural research expanded to new areas that bridge between human health and horticulture, the horticulture-health interphase.