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Synopsis Indian Medicinal Plants, based on a treatise prepared by S. Raghunatha Iyer, a scholar of both Sanskrit and ayurveda, aims to make an authoritative contribution to the field. The original work which drew on classical texts, current research as well as the oral medical knowledge of tribal groups has been updated by scholars associated with the Arya Vaidya Sala in Kottakkal, India. This unique compendium offers profiles of 500 key species with detailed taxonomic information. One of the lead features of this compilation is the special technique used in the illustrations, both colour and line, which aims to achieve authenticity of texture, colour and form. The outline information includes distribution and the popular nomenclature in English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. The main texts present properties and uses in a format which cites ancient verse texts and ethnobotanical sources. This rare work in five volumes should be of special interest to practitioners of alternative medicine, students of ayurveda, the research and industry associated with medical botany, pharmacologists, sociologists and medical herbalists. The compendium should also be of relevance to the fields of ethnobotany and Sanskrit studies.