Clinicians in the developed West have now settled into an environment in which they are able to address the problems in most cases of poisoning in a logical fashion. In the developing world the situation is far from clear. In many countries, including South Africa, the majority of the population resort to traditional remedies in the first instance. The composition of many of these remedies are completely unknown. Traditional remedies or muti may be prescribed on the basis of colour. Some remedies are effective, others are harmless, but a number of others have considerable toxicity, especially when administered to small children.