Biosynthesis of Essential Oils in Artemisia Species and Conservation through In Vitro Propagation

The Artemisia genus is the widely distributed genera of the angiosperm family Asteraceae. It consists of around 500 different species spread across Asia, North America, and Europe’s temperate zones. The Artemisia species contain biologi-cally active compounds and secondary metabolites having broad-spectrum activ-ity so extensively used in traditional medicine. The stem of the Artemisia species contains natural phytochemicals like sesquiterpene lactones, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, phenolic acids, and steroids. The major compounds are essential oil containing various types of mono-and sesquiterpenoid constituents. The genus Artemisia has come to attention because of the sesquiter-pene, artemisinin having antimalarial properties. Due to the less quantity and limited production of these important metabolites, in vitro prorogation is highly desirable. For several Artemisia species, in vitro propagation has also been recognized as a crucial tool for conservation and reintroduction studies. This chapter summarizes the recent developments in biosynthetic processes of the major classes of essential oils and several factors affecting the regulation and biosynthesis of essential content in Artemisia species.