ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Phytoremediation Potential of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants: A Way Forward for Green Economy

Currently, interests in the cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants gained a rapid momentum worldwide. These find great application in various industries such as; cosmetic, pharmaceutical, perfumery and other industrial sectors. Therefore, product safety issues are of paramount importance for the betterment of the consumer. Presently, heavy metal (HMs) pollution is one of the serious issues for the environment and agriculture as it has a direct impact on the production yield. This situation has worsened in the present era due to the population pressure, industrialization and various anthropogenic activities which in turn lead to oxidative stress in plants and thus disturbs the redox homeostasis and ultimate affects the quality and production yield. However, plants possess a different regulatory system that work in a synergetic manner to combat stress and thus adapts themselves in such contaminated soils. These act as sinks to neutralize the toxic effects of these heavy metals either by chelation, sequestration, intensification of enzyme system. Here we discuss the impact of heavy metals on aromatic and medicinal plants and how they play an essential role as a sustainable phytoremediation crops.