Tissue Culture as a Plant Production Technique for Medicinal Plants: a Review

Haberlandt envisioned the concept of plant tissue culture and provided the basic work for the cultivation of plant cells, tissues and organs culture. In recent years, a number of plants has been investigated and reported possessing medicinal values. Over-utilization and continuous depletion of traditional medicinal plants have affected their supply and loss of genetic biodiversity. Many Endangered plants having medicinal value are tissue cultured by callus growth and somatic embryogenesis. In the present days many medicinal plants are reproduce by in vitro propagation. By this technique desired characteristics are also attain. Tissue culturing of medicinal plants is widely used to produce active secondary metabolites for herbal and pharmaceutical industries. So tissue culture is a best way to conserve the medicinal plant and also the mass production of these valuable plants. This paper highlights some of the applications of plant tissue culture for medicinal plants and limitations of tissue culture. The effect of media formulations and culturing techniques on the growth and multiplication of medicinal plants is also reviewed.