**1. Introduction**

Over the past decades, herbs have become the global topic owing to recurring, (re)emerging pandemics and epidemics. In the past 2 years (2020 and 2021) medicinal plants have gained too much interest because of COVID-19 and most South African relied on concoctions for survival due to majority not affording western medication and all restricted measures of movement. Other countries also showed overwhelming trust in medicinal plants and herbs to aid in circumventing pandemic. It would have been the biggest mistake if the focus was only on the pandemic and forgetting treatment of other deadly diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), diabetes and cancer to mention a few.

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death globally and in sub-Saharan countries including South Africa. In the middle of the pandemic traditional healers continued to use ancestral calling guidance, culture, customs, and indigenous knowledge in the treatment of cancer and cancer related signs and symptoms. This chapter will bring most of the plants used by diverse Africans living in rural areas, highlight the scientific discoveries in relation to toxicity and impart a consolidated guidance on which plants to select hereof to avoid exposing their patients to possible toxic mixtures or concoctions.
