The number of natural products obtained from plants has now reached over 100,000 and new chemical compounds are being discovered ever year. Medicinal and Aromatic plants and their extracts have been used for centuries to relieve pain, aid healing, kill bacteria and insects are important as the antifungal and anti-herbivore agents with further compounds being involved in the symbiotic associations. Although their functions in plants have not been fully established, it is Known that some substances have growth regulatory properties while others are involved in pollination and seed dispersal. The complex nature of these chemicals are usually produced in various types of secretory structures which is an important character of a plant family and also influenced and controlled by genetic and ecological factors. Detailed anatomical description of these structures ave relevant to the market value of the plants, the verification of authenticity of a given species and for the detection of substitution or adulteration. Volatile oils are used for their therapeutic action for flavoring of lemon, in perfumery of rose or as starting materials for the synthesis of other compounds of turpentine. For therapeutic purposes they are administered as inhalations of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, as gargles and mouthwashes of thymol and transdermally many essential oils including those of lavender, etc. With these current trend for using volatile components in essential oil will be increasing in the future in Korea and in the world as well.

재래식 된장의 품질을 고급화하기 위해 재래식 된장과 각종 한약제와 약초류를 달리 첨가하여 제조한 두 종류의 약용 된장들을 6개월간 숙성시키면서 성인병에 관련된 몇 가지 생리 기능성의 변화를 조사하였다 약용 된장들의 고혈압을 예방하는 엔지오텐신 전환효소(ACE) 저해활성은 숙성기간이 길어짐에 따라 급격히 감소하여 숙성 6개월 후에 39.0%∼51.7%을 보였고 혈전용해활성은 숙성 6개월후에 10.4∼11.3 U를 보였다. 약용 된장들의 전자공여능은