The first edition of this book, published as a photographic guide to the most commonly used and best known plant medicines of South Africa, was extremely popular with a wide range of the South African population. The original edition included botanical aspects of the plants used, their main traditional uses and, where available, their active components. 
Ethnobotany is now a very popular research topic in South Africa, and greater use is currently being made in terms of natural plants than ever before. The current second edition took note of the excellent research that has been done on ethnopharmacological aspects in relation to indigenous plants. The various entries on more than 150 medicinal plants were updated with respect to plant description, plant parts used, medicinal properties preparation and dosage, the active ingredient sand their pharmacological effects. 
All this valuable data is augmented by distribution maps of the plants and diagrams of the chmical structure of the plant products. 
Valuable date on cultural aspects of healing and methods of plant collection, their storage, methods of preparation and modes of administration adds additional value to this very pleasing book. This volume should further increase the intensity of research in the field of traditional medicine in South Afica.