It is estimated that in the sub-Saharan region there are more than 40,000 species of plants, of which over 4,000 species are used as medicinal plants. This natural wealth, however, is not well known, or exploited: fewer than 10 per cent of species have been studied and their therapeutic potential assessed. 35 This probably explains why, despite the huge potential of the African continent in terms of genetic resources, it does not yet contribute much: out of 2,000 species sold, two-thirds come from Europe, followed by Asia, with a high percentage, sharply on the increase. African and Latin-American species have yet to be identified and better exploited. In recent times, however, there has been growing interest on the part of pharmaceutical companies and foreign researchers – most of them Western – in exploiting this potential and local knowledge about the use of these plants and their therapeutic properties. The countries and local communities that possess these genetic resources, and the knowledge about them, should benefit from their exploitation. Instead, it has been seen that, on the contrary, local population groups have been manipulated into revealing this knowledge without receiving adequate compensation, while unrestrained exploitation has put these resources in danger of extinction. Regulating the exploration of these resources and sharing benefits with the local people is a fundamental tool for preventing abuse. In addition, traditional knowledge – especially in the sphere of traditional medicine, in Mozambique and undoubtedly also in many other countries where this practice can be observed – is an area whose access is restricted to practitioners. It is handed down – solely among its practitioners – in ways that do not follow conventional patterns and are shrouded in great mysticism. This makes it difficult to identify this kind of knowledge, to use it for the benefit of humankind, to industrialize and market it, and to protect it.