This is not a book for the proverbial coffee table. The purpose of this book is to discuss the chemical constituents and the traditional and modern medicinal uses of the highly eclectic list of species. Each chapter is a different plant, but a chapter is not a smooth flowing discussion of the plant and its properties. Rather it is alisting of the fundamental features of the chosen plant. Each chapter includes such section headers as "Botanical description", "origin and distribution" "Traditional medical uses" and so on.

The bibliographic entries are extensive. One of the most intriguing sections in each chapter is the list of chemical constituents. This book should be on every library shelf of universities, colleges, and other institutions where ethnobotany, pharmacy and plant chemistry are of concern. It is, however, very expensive for a personal collection.

- Excerpted from American Scientist, Vol. 87, March-April 1999