A study on the prevalence of orally-used household drugs was carried out in a village of 139 households in Papua New Guinea. Of the 176 preparations found, 153 were essential drugs, and 115 had been prescribed. Current use was reported for 111 of the items; the others had been partially used, and 26 of them were being kept with a view to further use in the future. There were numerous instances of inappropriate self-medication, poor compliance, and the use of drugs kept beyond their expiry dates. The authors discuss ways of tackling these problems.