We live at a time when one in five of the world's plant species is threatened with extinction, and if we had the figures they would probably indicate that loss of knowledge about the usefulness of plants follows a similar trend. Both are vital to our continued ability to adapt and survive on this planet. Traditional knowledge has led to the development of many of our most effective and important medicines, particularly in the treatment of malaria and fever - from quinine to the Artemisia-based drugs of today. If we forget what we have learnt over tens of thousands of years, and we allow plants that have evolved over millions of years to become extinct, then we will have failed in our role as custodians for future generations. The traditional cures contained in this book add significantly to our common knowledge of plants and medicine. Regardless of immediate or future application, this publication ensures that the knowledge is not lost. Dennis Fowler is dedicated to finding this information, much residing in grey literature or rough notes in someone's attic or laboratory. He has meticulously been through both the raw data and the literature, and synthesised it into a format that is readily accessible to all. Whether you are a medical researcher, a botanist, an entomologist, an anthropologist or an interested reader, you will find this book useful and entertaining.

Zambian plants: their vernacular names and uses is a comprehensive list of vernacular names used by the millions of rural Zambians who rely on bush products in their everyday lives. It is also the most comprehensive review of the uses of Zambian plants ever published, listing some 8,181 examples of plant use. Even in this technological age, it is worth remembering that 65% of the drugs that we use in treating cancer are derived from plants. There may well be effective cures in this book that have not yet found wide use, and deserve to do so. This book will be of great value to a wide ranging audience, including = botanists, conservationists, foresters, agriculturalists, pharmacologists, economists, teachers and students.