ABSTRACT
Plants have been used in traditional medicine for a long time. About 13,000 plant species have been used as drugs throughout the world, and approximately 25% of our current materia medica is derived from plants in form of teas, extracts, or pure substances (1). Accordingly, plant secondary metabolites are an important source of various fine chemicals (phytochemicals) that are used directly or as intermediates for the production of pharmaceuticals. Additional applications are in the cosmetic industry and as food or drink additives.
