This fascinating book is a must for anyone interested in useful plants, new crop plants, medicinal plants, new product development, ecotourism, rural development, traditional crafts, African culture, ethnobotany and botany in general.
It records traditional wisdom and practical information on the many uses of indigenous South African plants and will appeal to anyone interested in health, gardening, cooking and homecrafting. It also offers a historical perspective and botanical detail that will be of interest to students of botany and medicine.

People's Plants is a scientific review of all of the most important useful plants of Southern Africa. It remains the first and only fully illustrated ethnobotanical reference source for Southern Africa. In this expanded and updated second edition, traditional and contemporary uses of more than 700 plants are described and illustrated in 20 chapters, each dealing with a specific category of plant use:

- Foods & Drinks – (1) Cereals, (2) Seeds & nuts, (3) Fruits & berries, (4) Vegetables, (5) Roots, bulbs & tubers, and (6) Beverages.
- Health & Beauty – (7) General medicines, (8) Tonic plants, (9) Mind & mood plants, (10) Women's health, (11) Wounds, burns & skin conditions, (12) Dental care, (13) Perfumes & repellents, and (14) Soap plants and cosmetics.
- Skills & Crafts – (15) Hunting & fishing, (16) Dyes and tans, (17) Utility timbers, (18) Fire-making and firewood, (19) Basketry, weaving & ropes, (20) Thatching, mats & brooms.