This paper, the first in the series, reviews the importance of plants as a source of medicine and other products to mankind. It discusses the use of plants and their products by humans (ethnobotany) from ancient times to the present. These products include food, fibre, cosmetics, poisons and medicine. It also paves the way for specialised studies, aimed at documenting indigenous knowledge, on the ethnobotany of specific communities living in the savanna.
Key words: Ethnobotany, Ethno-medicine, Traditional medicine, Savanna, Herbs.
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