The natural history of medicinal plants By Judith Sumner ISBN 0881924830, published in 2000 by Timber Press, b&w illustrations and colour plates, hard cover, 235 pages Price $A45.95 plus $A10 postage within Australia, overseas postage please request a quote

Whether you are an avid gardener, a practising herbalist or a physician whose patients want to know more about healing plants, this book belongs on your shelf. Written for the lay reader, it will inspire a greater appreciation of the vast natural pharmacy of plant medicines.

Contents

• Foreword by Mark Plotkin
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: A brief history of medicinal botany
• Chapter 2: Acquiring knowledge
• Chapter 3: Medicinal plants in nature
• Chapter 4: Toxins and cures- a cabinet of plant chemicals
• Chapter 5: Defensive strategies and plant chemistry
• Chapter 6: Significant discoveries
• Chapter 7: Zoopharmacognosy and botanical toxins
• Chapter 8: Chemical prospecting and new plant medicines
• Chapter 9: Protecting medicinal biodiversity and knowledge
• Chapter 10: Herbal histories, considerations and caveats
• Glossary
• Further reading
• Index