INFLUENCE OF MEDICAL PLANTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND URBAN ENVIRONMENT

City of Belgrade falls into one of the most vulnerable cities in Europe according to the official reports in two studies published by the City Institute for Public Health (CIPH) and Department for Environmental Protection of 2012. Reports are related to the general physical and mental health condition of the residents of city municipalities and the evaluation of environmental quality. According to results of these two studies, municipalities Savski Venac, Stari Grad and Vračar stood out as the most vulnerable in Belgrade. Among selected municipalities Savski Venac has registered the most patients suffering from respiratory system nearly 100 percent and nervous system about 12 percent and measured the highest level of air pollution (CO 7, 36 mg/m^3) and noise (Day 73 dBA – Night 69 dBA). Introducing varies medical plant species that are adapted to the urban settings represents sustainable natural mechanism for conservation human health and urban environment. Plants such as South European flowering ash (Fraxinus ornus L.), black elder (Sambucus nigra L.), European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) combined with lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis L.), ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea L.) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) with their bio-ecological activities, could affect the control and reduction of contamination the urban area and contribute to the health balance.