This book's aim is to help herbal travellers including students, professional biologists in the field, herbal retailers and wholesalers, people living away from their own country, and medical herbalists. The author has mainly kept to herbs that grow in Europe and the Mediterranean but has included some from the rest of the world that are commonly used in Europe.

The book is very simple to use. Part 1 consists of the Latin names, numbered and in alphabetical order, and under each heading you will find the plant's name in several languages. Part 2 comprises the different languages in index form and beside each entry is the number for the Latin names that are in part 1. For example, if you are an English speaker and want to find the Polish name for red clover, go to the English index and you will see 706 beside the entry for red clover. Turn to part 1 and find 706 with its Latin name, Trifolium pratensis, and in the list below it, under P, you'll see Koniczyna ląkowa, which is polish for red clover. Easy! The same system applies regardless of your nationality.