Besides cradling the oldest and the most magnificent civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Nile valley, the Mediterranean region has a very important place in the world in terms of high plant diversity and the presence of a large number of medicinal and aromatic plants. Medicinal plants are generally considered as minor and neglected crops, and face many challenges during their production and to harvest their end products for small to large-scale industries from cultivation to marketing. They have been positively contributing to healthcare systems since the times of Hippocrates, Socrates Plato, and Aristotle in the 6th, 5th, and 4th centuries BCE to the present times. All of these are making important contributions to the local and global economy and healthcare systems. At present, their global production value exceeds US$100 billion per annum. With the improvement in scientific studies, and publication of new scientific studies their role in healthcare systems, functional food formulations, and maintaining food quality is more recognized and highlighted day by day.

Instead of collecting them from the wild, there is a need to make conscious efforts to properly identify, characterize and develop in silico, in situ, in vitro, and ex vitro multiplication, breeding, and conservation strategies for these plants. Using biotechnological procedures along with traditional techniques, the use of selection assisted by molecular markers for specific targets like increased drugs and metabolites with stable uniform yield, and resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses is desirable. Integrating these approaches will end up in finding many very emerging and interesting topics for work in the future. This will also ensure the production and harvesting of the plants of uniform and superior quality raw materials for pharmaceutical industries with an increased profit ratio.

This Special Issue invites original research and review articles about medicinal and aromatic plants of the Mediterranean region and elsewhere, describing novel work about macro, micropropagation, and, biotechnology-based approaches for collective progress and improvement in our lifestyle.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Novel micro and macropropagation techniques for medicinal and aromatic plants
• Rapid breeding techniques in medicinal and aromatic plants
• Role of in silico, in situ, in vitro, and ex vitro conservation techniques
• Importance of morphologic, chemical, and molecular characterization techniques in the medicinal plants