Salvia Biotechnology

The genus Salvia represents nearly 1,000 species that are widely distributed around the world. It is the largest in the Lamiaceae family. Traditionally, infusions of Salvia species have been widely used to treat oral inflammation, throat and headaches, and digestive disturbances in various folklore- and ethno-medicine practices worldwide. The antispasmodic, antiseptic and hypoglycemic effects of their extracts have been recognized by the ancient healers a long time ago before the development of modern medicine. With the advances in phytochemistry and pharmacology, terpenes, polyphenols and volatile compounds have been recognized as the source of bioactivity in Salvia extracts. Nowadays, because of their valuable pharmaceutical and nutraceutical properties, many Salvia species have been widely used as ingredients in food, pharmacy and cosmetic industries. The economic importance of Salvia plants continues to increase, following closely the growing interest to the concept for modern healthy lifestyle, based on prevention by consuming quality foods and nutraceutical supplements of natural origin.



However, the growing demand has led to overexploitation of natural habitats and in the last few years many wild growing Salvia species have shrunk or fallen under threat. Obviously, to deal with that problem and to prevent ecological crisis, there is an urgent need for alternative, renewable sources of Salvia biomass. Plant biotechnology can provide a wide range of tools for development of economically feasible continuous production of standardized valuable phytochemicals. Plant in vitro culture technology is a powerful method for continuous production of plant secondary metabolites under controlled conditions, recently adapted to various Salvia species. Salvia in vitro systems are harmless to natural plant populations and can be grown independently of environmental factors, geographical latitude, climatic change, and seasonal variations. Several bioactive