Grouping plants according to the ailment they treated, Mildred Fielder covers historical remedies for everything from nosebleed to neuralgia, stomach aches to spider bites. Each plant is identified by both its common and botanical names, and many are illustrated in line drawings and photographs. An important chapter warns against do-it-yourself doctoring and lists dozens of poisonous or potentially dangerous flowers, vegetables, herbs, spices, vines, trees, and shrubs.