Owing to their diverse biological activities and their diverse physical and chemical
properties, terpenoid plant chemicals have been exploited by humans as traditional biomaterials in the form of
complex mixtures or in the form of more or less pure compounds since ancient times. Plant terpenoids are
widely used as industrially relevant chemicals, including many pharmaceuticals, flavours, fragrances,
pesticides and disinfectants, and as large-volume feedstocks for chemical industries.