A photographic guide to the most commonly used and best known South African plant medicines, including their botany, main traditional uses and active ingredients. This edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest research findings. The title includes: detailed species descriptions of more than 150 medicinal plants and their close relatives, or other species used in a similar way. Each entry includes the following information: a description of the plant, the plant parts used, medicinal uses, preparation and dosage, active ingredients and pharmacological effects. In addition, each entry includes a distribution map and a diagram of the chemical structure of the main active ingredient. More than 500 excellent photographs of the plants, plant parts used and products. Introductory chapters on, among others, cultural aspects of healing, methods of collection and storage, methods of preparation and administration. A plant list according to ailments. A glossary, detailed index and comprehensive references for further reading. This title is a must for anyone with an interest or involvement in health care and botany.

People’s Plants is a scientific review of all of the most important useful plants of southern Africa. It remains the first and only fully illustrated ethnobotanical reference source for southern Africa. In this expanded and updated second edition, traditional and contemporary uses of more than 700 plants are described and illustrated in 20 chapters, each dealing with a specific category of plant use:
• FOODS & DRINKS – (1) Cereals, (2) Seeds & nuts, (3) Fruits & berries, (4) Vegetables, (5) Roots, bulbs & tubers, and (6) Beverages.
• HEALTH & BEAUTY – (7) General medicines, (8) Tonic plants, (9) Mind & mood plants, (10) Women’s health, (11) Wounds, burns & skin conditions, (12) Dental care, (13) Perfumes & repellents, and (14) Soap plants and cosmetics.
• SKILLS & CRAFTS – (15) Hunting & fishing, (16) Dyes and tans, (17) Utility timbers, (18) Fire-making and firewood, (19) Basketry, weaving & ropes, (20) Thatching, mats & brooms.
This fascinating book is a must for anyone interested in useful plants, new crop plants, medicinal plants, new product development, ecotourism, rural development, traditional crafts, African culture, ethnobotany and botany in general.