DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-087-0-0415

USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AS A PART OF CULTURAL INTERPRETATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Tomáš Kopta1, Jarmila Neugebauerová1, Tereza Štorková1, Aleš Jezdinský1, Pavel Híc2, Tomáš Koutecký3, Dana Surá4,5, Kateřina Smékalová6
1 Department of Vegetable Growing and Floriculture, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia
2 Department of Post-Harvest Technology of Horticultural Products, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia
3 Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia
4 The Czech-Moravian Province of the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, Vídeňská 228/7, 639 00 Brno, Czechia
5 Department of History, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University in Olomouc, Křížkovského 512, 779 00 Olomouc 9, Czechia
6 Czech Agrifood Research Center, Genetic Resources of Vegetables and Special Crops Team, Šlechtitelů 892/29, 779 00 Olomouc, Czechia

The paper focuses on the possibilities of using medicinal, aromatic and spice plants (MAPs) in environmental education and in the interpretation of cultural and natural heritage within recreational and tourism activities. Based on the study of selected historical herbaria, the identification and quantification of recorded plant species are carried out. The findings are further applied in the development of a methodology for establishing exhibition plantings of MAPs inspired by historical sources, which can serve as components of educational gardens, botanical displays or interpretive trails. The research also includes an analysis of methods for preparing durable plant exhibits for exhibition and educational purposes, for example through freeze-drying and other preparation techniques. These exhibits represent a sustainable alternative to living plants, as they enable long-term presentation of plant material without the limitations of seasonality and high maintenance requirements. The result is a set of practical approaches and recommendations that link the study of historical sources with modern forms of plant presentation and contribute to the development of environmental education, the interpretation of cultural landscapes, and the sustainable recreational use of natural and cultural heritage.

Keywords: herbarium, plant preservation, exhibition planting, education, garden tourism

pages: 415-418, Published: 2026, online: 2026



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