Value addition: A novel strategy for quality enhancement of medicinal and aromatic plants

The increase in the value of medicinal plants is of crucial importance for both the commercial use and the therapeutic benefit of raw medicinal products. The scientific investigation of botanical materials for their medicinal properties, which falls into the field of natural product research, is again attracting the interest of preclinical and clinically applied research. To ensure that materials selected for scientific research meet appropriate identification and quality standards, medicinal plants can add value directly by improving the quality of the plant material produced or collected and indirectly by ensuring the quality of the plant material or by semi-processing the material into a value-added product. Indeed, even verified plant material might not have the essential quality and strength. Their physicochemical parameters, active components, or marker compound concentrations may not meet pharmacopoeial standards or consumer/industry criteria. Such material will probably be dismissed or acknowledged at the lowest cost, resulting in financial losses for medicinal plant farmers and collectors and uncertainty about their efficacy. The present review addresses the steps involved in value addition of medicinal and aromatic plants, various techniques used for the value addition, and their importance, which has earned into a new attraction for herbal product entrepreneurs, resulting in the emergence of various categories of quality products for society and economic benefit for those who are involved in the process. •Value addition ensures the plant materials meet required quality standards.•It promotes the commercial benefit and therapeutic efficacy of plant materials.•It ensures the raw materials meet appropriate identity and consumer/industry needs.•Semi-processing of the plant material can facilitate value addition.•Without value addition, the raw materials may not meet pharmacopoeial standards.