A two-day international forum on frankincense and medicinal plants will be organised on September 3 and 4 at Dhofar University. The forum aims to revive frankincense farming and support advanced ways of research and development on medicinal plants.
The forum's theme, 'Improvement and development of phytotherapy,' revolves around R&D of the unique Omani frankincense and other medicinal plants' properties by transferring knowledge to the related industries to help connect scientific and innovative activities in the fields of chemical, biotechnology, medical science and health to provide a platform for international exchange and collaboration. The forum's focus rests on traditional herbal medicine and biomedicine. Additionally, the forum will help promote frankincense and other medicinal plants as Omani and international cultural heritage.
Speaking to the Observer, Professor Louay Rashan, the forum's chief coordinator, said that the platform is a quantum leap in the history of frankincense in Oman and will witness new studies with experiments from across the world.
"The forum holds great scientific importance on the effectiveness of Omani gum and frankincense oil as the speakers will also talk about the development of many products of frankincense gum as food supplements and in multiple pharmaceutical forms." According to him, the economic and industrial transformations and the cultural and civilisational dimension of the Omani frankincense within the purview of the forum are closely linked with the history of Oman, where Dhofar Governorate, the birthplace of the frankincense tree, was known as the 'Land of Frankincense'.
The forum will welcome more than 45 experts and researchers from Western, Asian, Arab and local universities, institutes and companies, as well as experts in food and cosmetics who will present their innovative scientific papers at the forum.
The forum, which will be conducted in hybrid mode, includes presentations by keynote speakers, senior academic scientists and research scientists related to medicinal plants, nutrition, botanical medicine, natural chemistry and industries. The forum will also include plenary sessions and presentations of scientific posters and frankincense products.
Dhofar Governorate is the region's rich source of plant, animal and marine biodiversity, and the land of frankincense includes more than 58 per cent of the known plants in the Sultanate, which are more than 800 species. Most of the cultivated, medicinal and wild plant species are found in the highlands of Dhofar Governorate.
Historically, natural products (secondary metabolites) have been used since ancient times and in folklore to treat many ailments, and they have been the most successful source of potential drugs. The area is rich in plants and trees such as Commiphora, Boswellia, Acacia, Anogeissus dhofarica, Aloe Dhofarensis, Aloe vera and many other interesting plants waiting to be explored.
The unique aromatic gum resin is extracted from many species of frankincense tree, which includes about 23 scientific species, which are spread in many countries, including India, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea of the genus Boswellia, including the Omani frankincense tree type Boswellia sacra (from the south of the Arabian Peninsula).
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