The increasing cost and shortage of modern drugs makes the role of traditional medicine in health care delivery more and more important since 70% of the Ugandan population which lives in rural areas, as well as those in urban areas who now go back to nature and consult traditional herbalists for treatment of various ailments, rely on it.

Medicinal plants are widely used in the country alongside "western" medicine, mainly because they are more readily accessible and acceptable and have strong links to the various local cultures.

Knowledge of herbal medicine is a potential source of new drugs and a source of cheap starting products of the synthesis of allopathic drugs.

With the emergence of HIV/AIDS and lack of curative western medicine, patients have turned to traditional healing systems that predominantly depend on local medicinal plants to treat/manage related opportunistic infections in addition to a host of other diseases such as malaria, abdominal pains, skin diseases, headache, ulcers, etc. Recent publications dealing with medicinal plants have been on the increase, and many countries have now prepared compilations of medicinal plants used in health care systems.

In this brief publication, a selection has been made of the most commonly used medicinal plants in the treatment/management of HIV/AIDS related conditions, as well as malaria and other illnesses by local herbalists in various parts of Uganda.

It is hoped that through more research, the information herein will continue to be updated. Any additional information and suggestions from all those who cherish the use of medicinal plants will be most welcome.

AB. Kakooko
Researcher, Medicinal Plants