About half of all species under threat of extinction in the world today are plants. The loss of plant biodiversity is disturbing for many reasons, but especially because it is a reflection of the growing disconnect between humans and nature. Plants have been used for millennia in traditional systems of healing and have held a significant place in drug development for Western medicine as well. Despite the recent dominance of synthetic drug production,...

Before formal science enabled a systematic approach to medicine, healers used plants to alleviate pain, ease the symptoms of diseases, and treat complaints of every kind. Today, people still use medicinal plants, in traditional roles or as building blocks for new research and innovative drugs. Featuring 350 full-color photographs, botanical drawings, and maps, this book is based on the work of botanical experts and presents alphabetically arranged,...