Slovak Republic covers an area 49.015 km² placed in Central Europe. It lies in the climatically favorable mild zone of Northern Hemisphere. Generally the nature of the country is very heterogeneous and has some interesting features. In the territory two fundamental regions of flora can be observed. The thermophilic flora is present in the Panonian region in warm basins with a great number of xerophytic species. The Carpatian flora is present in the majority of the Slovak Mountains with a market differentiation of the plant cover according to the elevation above sea level.

Since time immemorial medicinal plants have played the most important part in the composition of therapeutic and various preparations used in popular doctoring, the experience of simple people being the basin for the use of these medicinal plants. In past centuries about 600 or 800 species were used for curative purposes. There exists evidence that as early as in the Old Slavonic period (about 900 AD) a lot of plants were used. In the course of the 17^th century the peasants acquired the ability to produce vegetable and plant oils. These essential oils were exported by the so-called "oilmen" of East and West Europe. In this short survey of traditions in popular doctoring it is necessary to mention also the herbalists, i.e. people who dispensed medicinal herbs in order to cure specific diseases. In the regions of their activity these "popular doctors" were highly respected.

Because of the therapeutically effective substances contained in medicinal plants the latter are important aids in the therapy of diseases in our human medicine. In regard to Slovak history contemporary modern phytotherapy in our country continues with the rich traditions of popular doctoring. Of course, the development of natural sciences with their exact methods of investigation makes the therapeutic effect of the substances contained in these plants and the therapeutic value of each plant more precise.

Nowadays 150 and about 200 medicinal plants are used in the official therapy and in popular doctoring, respectively. The medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants are mainly used in Slovakia in: phytotherapy, veterinary, medicine, cosmetics and food industry; they have additive, ecological, decorative and sanitary-hygienic, functions and positive influence on water system, soil conservation and plant pasture for bees.

The medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants in Slovakia are originated into the natural raw material resources of plants, which are the genepool of these plants and an introduction of new plants from abroad. Our present research and development is orientated to: -collecting expeditions of genetic resources, -determination of chemotypes, -protection of genetic resources in the Slovak Gene Bank and -visions of introduction to agricultural production with pharmaceutical proceeding and using.

Drugs, i.e. dried medicinal and aromatic plants or their parts (roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, greens) or plant products (balms, resins, glycosides, essential oils ...) are obtained from: - collection in the wild (individual or organized), - contracted deliveries of small-scale growers and - large-scale cultivation on the agricultural enterprises.

The large-scale cultivation of medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants belongs to the special agricultural production. It is an only way of supplies the contracted volume and quality of these crops (table 1).

This special crop production is of great importance from several points of view in the specialized agricultural farms:

• rational (offering appropriate occasion for unemployed people),

• productivity (better exploitation of problematic land resources /salty soil, lower quality soils in sub-mountainous or mountainous areas/) and

• economic (from the viewpoint of market value the medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants belong to the most effective agricultural crops).

The Slovak Ministry of Agriculture mandated the Research Institute of Agroecology in Michalovce to elaborate „The Development Program of Medicinal, Aromatic and Spicy Plant Cultivation and Processing in the Slovak Republic" in the first half of the year 1999. I More than 60 specialists from the sector of medicinal plant cultivation, processing, business and science were contacted. All materials were presented to the leader-ship of our Ministry in October last year. The program is a basis to the state support of this special crop production & development into the future long conception (table 2).

Generally, the new development program should contribute to the solution of following tasks: * decrease a risk of production, * to improve variable profitability of the single medicinal plant species, * to propose and develop suitable special mechanization, chemical protection, high quality of seeds, determination of radiation and pollution, etc.), * to design progressive trimming lines, store-rooms, extraction and distillation equipment - post harvest technologies,* to decrease a ration of manual labor, * to establish functioning relation between suppliers and customers, * to improve the skill of people working in the herb production.

Our claims to the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture were formulated in these points:

* in regard to the large-scale cultivation:

• appropriate state subsidizes (a proposal about 300 USD per 1 ha),

• suitable state grand to capacity building of harvest and post-harvest technologies (a proposal about 1 million USD per year),

• additional payment for the high quality of medicinal plant drug, which is determinate by a quality certificate.

• prevent an import of medicinal plant drugs from abroad,

• suitable state additional payment to each kilogram of herbs, which is exported,

• creation of market-manager companies or partnerships to arrangement of cultivation, processing and business of all herbal items.

• support of complex cooperation and the exchanging information among all parts of the Slovak economy.

• research of the Slovak genepool of herbs,

• breeding of medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants,

• development of seed production,

• introduction of new medicinal plant species into large-scale cultivation,

• improvement of the methods of large-scale cultivation, harvest and post-harvest technologies,

• creation of consultation agencies,

• giving of the quality certificates of the all herb items,

• introduction of the without-waste technologies,

• presentation of the results of research and development at the domestically and foreign actions and exhibitions,

• marketing investigation of the world market and presentation of information review about this situation.

In last years the awareness of therapeutics among the population in the Slovak Republic was investigated. From this investigation it followed that 95 % of those questioned believed in the beneficial effects of medicinal plants.

Worldwide demand for medicinal, aromatic and spicy plants and for products derived of them is permanently increasing. This is well documented in one of our old proverbs: "There is not plant without use" and our prosperous work can decisively contribute the exploitation of the properties of the single plants to benefit mankind.