Kerala Agricultural University is perhaps the first among the Universities in India to have  a research station  exclusively for Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. The station was established on 15-3-1951 as "Lemongrass Breeding  Station"  under the Department of Industries of the  erstwhile  Travancore-Cochin Government.   The  centre  was brought  under  the  Department  of Agriculture  with  effect  from 1-8-1954 and was  baptized  as  "Lemongrass  Research  Station".   The main objective of the  centre  was  to  provide adequate  research  support  for  lemongrass  cultivation  in  the   state. Consequent to the formation of  Kerala Agricultural University in 1972, the station became an integral part of the University's research net work.  Diversifying the research  emphasis  of the centre  to  cover  all  other tropical aromatic and medicinal plants, the station was renamed as Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Research Station (A.M.P.R.S.) in 1982. 

          Ministry  of Agriculture,  Government  of  India has upgraded  the phytochemical  laboratory  of  the station  as one of the Regional Analytical  Laboratories  for medicinal and aromatic plants in 1994.