To provide a context where patterns of usage can be easily observed, the plants have been arranged in phylogenetic order, following the generic numbering system used in the most South African herbaria.

"The work should be of use to botanists, chemists, ethnopharmacologists, medical workers and anthropologists. Recent research indicates that Zulu traditional medicine is a working, adaptive and self-monitoring system, eminently worthy of further research. With the flora from which it comes, it is a heritage to be highly valued and conserved."--BOOK JACKET.

A guide of the most commonly used and best known SA medicinal plants including their botany, traditional uses and active ingredients

This publication provides a comprehensive and scientifically accurate guide to the best-known and most important medicinal plants, including those of special commercial or historical interest. It includes descriptions of more than 300 medicinal plants and their close relatives, with each entry summarising botanical background, geographical origin, therapeutic category, historical and modern uses, active ingredients, and pharmacological effects. Over 500 full-color photographs are included to assist in the identification of the plants.

With over 50,000 distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the African continent is endowed with an enormous wealth of plant resources. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural

South African Traditional Medicinal Plants from KwaZulu-Natal is based on the beautiful notebooks that the Norwegian medical doctor Henrik Greve Blessing wrote when he was visiting the KwaZulu-Natal district in the years 1901 -1904. Blessing was the medical doctor on board the ship "Fram" that went towards the North Pole with Fridtjof Nansen during the years 1893-96. In these notebooks he described 98 plants, both botanically and with their local use for illnesses, pains and as agents against poisoning. For most plants the only names given were the Zulunames. The last part of this book is a facsimile of Blessing's original notebooks. Scientists from Norway and South Africa have identified the plants, taken photographs of them, and described the use of the plants traditionally as well as modern knowledge about effects. The book is both of cultural, medicinal and pharmaceutical historic interest, and represents part of the historic relations between South Africa and Norway --

Zulu plant names do not just identify plants, they tell us much more about the plant, as well as how it is perceived or used in Zulu culture. For example, the plant name umhlulambazo ('what defeats the axe') tells us that this is a tree with hard, dense wood, and that usondelangange ('come closer so I can embrace you') is a tree with large thorns that snags the passer-by. In a similar vein, both umakuphole ('let it cool down') and icishamlilo ('put out the fire') refer to plants that are used medicinally to treat fevers and inflammations. Plants used as the base of love-charms have names that are particularly colorful, such as unginakile ('she has noticed me'), uvelabahleke ('appear and they smile'), and the wonderfully named ungcingci-wafika-umntakwethu ('how happy I am that you have arrived, my sweetheart!'). And then, there are those plant names that are just plain intriguing, if not mystifying: umakhandakansele ('the heads of Mr Ratel'), isandlasonwabu ('hand of a chameleon'), intombikayibhinci ('the girl does not wear clothes'), and ukhuningomile ('piece of firewood, I am thirsty'). This book details the complex relationship between these plants, the Zulu language, and Zulu culture. [Subject: Botany, African Studies, Cultural Studies, Language]

This is the second volume in a series of monographs which are intended to promote information exchange and international harmonised standards for the quality control and use of herbal medicines. It contains scientific information on 30 selected plants, and each entry includes a pharmacopoeial summary for quality assurance purposes, information on its clinical application and sections on contraindications, pharmacology, safety issues, and dosage forms. It provides two cumulative indexes with entries in alphabetical order by plant name and according to the plant material of interest.