Department of Plant production engineering (Medicinal and aromatic plants)

Iran is an ancient country in usage of herbal plants and there are documents showing Persians were pioneers in using plants for medical purposes. Geographical and climatic situations of Iran are unique in the world. Iran has 11 climates out of 13 world climates. So there are at least 7500 plant species in Iran. Among them there are some endemic plants which are growing only in Iranian climatic conditions. There is a broad field of work to be performed on Iranian medicinal plants especially in the case of endemic plants. Nowadays there are some research stations and universities which study herbal plants extensively. The results of some research show that growing some herbal plants in Iran have many advantages over other regions of the world. Medicinal plants can be considered as plant materials such as foliage, root, flower and seed using in the form of their extracts and chemical compounds to produce human drugs or veterinary medicine.The world tendency towards herbal medicine is a reality. Statistics show in many European countries herbal medicine is very popular. But in many developing and under developed countries along with the entrance of new technologies, most signs of their traditions, including herbal medicine were ignored. Fortunately in Iran some continuous projects are being performed to achieve its real position of herbal medicine and herbal plants.

 The aim of this field is improving of production and reproduction of medicinal crops and agricultural important plant species to the benefit of the society at large.

Career Opportunity:

Engineer in plant production for the Agro-industrial companies, Expert in medicinal plants processing companies, Consultant to medicinal plant growers and etc.

Major/Specialization

To prepare graduate and undergraduate students in medicinal plants for fulfilling careers in academia, industry or government.

Develop thorough research, new knowledge and techniques that are relevant to the production and management of economically important medicinal plant species, and the management of soil and water resources on a sustainable basis.

Communicate research findings through scholarly publication and educational programmes of value to stakeholders.

Support the scientific community and serve the broader public through outreach activities such as problem-oriented research and extension in the region.