Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in - Inia

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WORKING GROUP ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS: FIRST MEETING
Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in the Republic of Macedonia F.Y.R.
Gjoshe Stefkov and Svetlana Kulevanova
Institute of Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy,
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia F.Y.R.
The Republic of Macedonia is a small, landlocked Balkan country in southeastern Europe,
bordered by Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania. Largely surrounded by high
mountains, much of the country is a plateau more than 1000 m above sea level. The western
part of the country, with its alpine climate, and the eastern part, with its continental climate,
are divided by the largest river, the Vardar, rising in the north and flowing south to Greece
and into the Mediterranean Sea, drawing the influence of a sub-Mediterranean climate deep
into the continental territory. This predominantly mountainous country is made up of
valleys, gorges, plateaux and highlands. The territory of Macedonia includes:
- Pastureland 25%
- Grassland and meadows 2%
- Arable land, vineyards, orchards 23%
- Barren land 8%
- Forest land 37%
- Lakes 2%
- Urban or industrial land 3%
Four phytogeographic regions can be distinguished, characterized by their different
climates and altitudes and consequently by their different flora:
- sub-Mediterranean region (40% of the territory): Mediterranean plants dominate, growing
mainly up to 600 m;
- sub-continental region (37% of the territory): it lies mainly between 600 and 1200 m and is
subject to some Mediterranean influence and is thus not completely continental;
- sub-humid region (22% of the territory): between 900 and 1700 m with mainly forest
vegetation;
- sub-alpine region (1% of the territory): may be characterized as a real alpine region (above
2200 m).
In spite of its small territory (25 333 km 2 ), Macedonia is very rich in plant diversity,
having approximately 3500 vascular plant species, and is at the top of the list of countries
called "European hotspots". According to data from local and neighbouring countries’ folk
medicine there are more than 700 plants with medicinal properties, but only about 150
species are used frequently. All these approximations are due to the fact that the inventory
of the flora of Macedonia is still not complete; therefore an exhaustive inventory of the
medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) is not yet available. The Department of
Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Pharmaceutical Botany of the Faculty of Pharmacy in
Skopje, through its scientific research and educational activities in this field, has gathered a
significant amount of data.
For better consideration of the overall situation of MAPs in Macedonia, it has to be
mentioned that Macedonia was the last of all the former Yugoslavian republics to acquire its
independence, withdrawing from Yugoslavia in 1991. This is not a very long period for
establishing relevant legislation. Some laws are still those that were in force in the former
Yugoslav legislation, most of them dating from the early 1970s. There is no law for MAPs or
specific regulation contained in any other law. The only regulation is found in one half-page