Illustration printed in color. Item no. 29. is guarana, which is made from the seeds of the paullinia sorbilis ground, made into a paste then molded into a cylindrical mass and dried. Guarana is known for its high caffeine content. Item no. 31. is Aurantii Amari Cortex or bitter orange peel. The oil from the peel possess hesperiden. Also includes an illustration of an orange, both in whole form and a cross-section.

This manual identifies plants used for medicinal purposes. The focus is on plants that can be acquired through commerce in Britain and are illustrated as they would have been imported and bought, for example the opium is illustrated as a processed capsule wrapped in a poppy leaf instead of the poppy plant itself.

Authored by George Sampson Valentine Wills (1849-1932). Wills was the founder and Director of the Westminster College of Chemistry and Pharmacy in London. The school was established to train druggists for examinations by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the regulating body established in 1841.