ABSTRACT
Heavy metal contamination is a serious problem for the environment. Heavy metal contamination has significantly increased as a result of human or natural activities and a lack of awareness. One of the heavy metals found in the soil is cadmium, which is extremely poisonous. The heavy metal is extensively used in the industry and agriculture which results in contamination in the ecosystem and subsequent biomagnification down the food chain. Thus, there have been constant efforts to decontaminate the metal from the environment. A number of strategies are adopted by the scientists in implementing the decontamination process. The physicochemical process of remediation of the heavy metal might be effective but are non-sustainable and expensive. On the other hand, the bioremediation using living beings is an excellent tool to decontaminate the pollutants. It is sustainable and cost-effective. The process of phytoremediation using crop plants has the risk of biomagnification of cadmium as the plant parts are consumed. This problem can be very well avoided by medicinal and aromatic plants, which are generally not consumed. In addition, the essential oils and active principles extracted from the plants are free from the heavy metals and thereby considered as safe. Considering these positivities, an attempt has been made to review the role of aromatic plant in phytoremediation of cadmium.
