The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the world's population presently use herbal medicines in primary health care. Herbal medicines are often used as first line treatment for many diseases because of their accessibility and availability as well as affordability when compared with modern pharmacologic products.

The Philippine policy on Universal Health Care also referred as Kalusugan Pangkalahatan (KP) promotes the integration of herbal and traditional medicine with conventional medicine to improve access to quality and universal health care. Being one of the biodiversity hotspots in the planet, Philippines is home to more than 1,500 identified medicinal plants, of which 177 are on the research list of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

This book aims to serve as a reference text for medicinal plants found in the Philippines. This work is targeted to all professionals in the health sciences and related fields, interested researchers, and even lay people who wish to pursue more knowledge for the practical use of medicinal plants in everyday living.