Traditional medicine is used globally and has a rapidly growing economic importance. In developing countries, it is often the only accessible and affordable treatment available. Traditional and complementary-alternative medicine are gaining more and more respect by national governments and health providers.

This illustrated book focuses primarily on the ethnobotany of medicinal plants used on the north coast of Peru. Northern Peru represents the upper sector of the "health axis" of the ancient Central Andean cultural area stretching from southern Ecuador to northern Bolivia. The traditional use of medicinal plants in this region possibly dates as far back as the first millennium B.C. or at least to the Moche period (A.D. 100-800). We provide the North Peruvian data and illustrations from the ethnobotanical database of 510 medicinal plants organized under the headings of scientific name, vernacular name, plant parts used, administration, preparation, and use.