Uganda is a tourist hot spot because of its spectacular scenery, beautiful weather, gorgeous water falls, rare animal and bird species, rich and diverse cultures, the list goes on and on. No wonder Winston Churchill called Uganda "The Pearl of Africa". One thing that highlights Uganda among other African countries is her long history of using plants for their medicinal value. With over 65 tribes, this small country in East Africa has kept her people alive and active for generations.

The knowledge of plants' medicinal power has been and is still  top secret to many tribes in Uganda. The knowledge has been passed on orally from generation to generation but very little is known about written collection of information about medicinal plants among the different tribes. As a result, a lot of information about plants with curative powers are lost each time mothers, fathers or grandparents pass away.

The purpose of this research is to document and make accessible the common medicinal plants that have been used for decades by different tribes in Uganda to cure illnesses and keep healthy.

I took a trip to Uganda in January 2010 and gathered information on native plants with medicinal value. I travelled to the west (Masindi and Hoima districts) and central (Kampala city and Masaka district) parts of the country compiling information from different tribes. During my travels, I took still images of medicinal plants and recorded voice interviews of persons who have knowledge of medicinal plants or have used plants as medicine.

Given the many tribes in Uganda  it would take a lot of time to collect comprehensive information about plants with medicinal value.  Therefore the list that I have made available here is not comprehensive since I did the research for only one month. My hope is that this information will make people recognize the unique contribution of plants as medicine and also enrich their knowledge of alternative medicine that is practised around the world.