It is a pleasant part of my duty to welcome readers, on behalf of the Editorial Board, to the first issue of the Journal of Medicinal Plants for Economic Development (JOMPED). This is a high-quality, peer-reviewed, open access journal, which will focus on the dissemination of research information on the use of plants and plant products for health, economic and social development, most especially in the developing world. It will focus on the latest developments in phytomedicine with strong emphasis on originality and scientific quality.

Launching this journal would not have been possible without the great and much appreciated contributions from the editorial board members, the meticulous reviewers and, most importantly, from AOSIS the publisher.

In recent years, research in medicinal plants has acquired great heights and importance. The trend, however, has been focused mainly on the validation of the pharmacological properties of medicinal plants, while the effects of these findings on the economic development of the study areas have always been masked. We believe that the growing importance of medicinal plants can better be appreciated from the economic standpoint, especially in the development of the community where these plants are growing. JOMPED wishes to serve as an international platform and a medium for scientists in phytopharmacognosy, natural products, herbal technology, phytochemistry, metagenomics of medicinal plants and toxicology for the dissemination of their research findings with emphasis on the economic development of the study areas.

The arrival of JOMPED has relied on the collaboration of all our editors, reviewers and contributors, whose enthusiasm, dedication and zeal will continue to make the journal a contemporary, lively and relevant publication.

We hope you will enjoy reading our first issue and find these articles useful in the stimulation of your research into the vibrant area of medicinal plants and economic development.