The genus Rhus (family: Anacardiaceae, order: Sapindales) consists of more than 250 species distributed in the tropics, subtropics and temperate regions. Traditionally, extracts and products from Rhus species are regarded as important remedy and have been used extensively as part of traditional healing practices for the treatment of fungal, bacterial and protozoal infections in both humans and animals. However, scientific data to support these ethnomedicinal uses is lacking for most Rhus species. The aim of this study was to collate and review the fragmented information on ethnomedicinal, phytochemistry and biological activities Rhus species and present recommendations for future research. Peer-reviewed articles using Rhus as search term were retrieved from Scopus, Science Direct, SciFinder and Google Scholar. Various books that contained ethnopharmacological information of the plants were also consulted. In addition to anti-infective properties, Rhus extracts are also used to treat a wide range of ailments including abdominal pain, inflammation, stomach aches, fever and headaches, which may be a manifestation of infections. Most of the biological activities are attributed to flavonoids, phenolic and terpenoid compounds present in the various species. From the literature available it is evident that most of Rhus species have not been studied. Further research aimed at identification of active extracts and compounds from the plants is needed.