Medicinal and high value native plants suitable for small farms and water deficit conditions of northern New Mexico

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatic plants have a wide range of uses, because they constitute the important raw material of pharmaceutical, food, beverage, cosmetic and many other industries. New Mexico is one of the most diverse parts of the continental United States, with five of the seven major hardiness zones in a single state. This gives growers the ability to raise an extremely wide range of medicinal herb species. Northern New Mexico has a long history of traditional use of medicinal herbs by Native American and Hispanic cultures. Also, northern New Mexico is faced with water deficit conditions especially in recent years due to climate change. Now traditional crops are no longer economical for the farmers, thus medicinal plants gain their importance. Medicinal plants have higher demand in the market and are quite suitable to northern New Mexico soils and weather conditions. This review manuscript provides further knowledge about some medicinal and high value plants that could be suitable for small farms and water deficit conditions of northern New Mexico.