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Allelopathy (rootwords: allelon and pathos) is derived from the Greek allelon, ‘of each other’, and pathos, ‘to suffer’; hence it means: the injurious effect of one upon another. The term denotes that body of scientific knowledge which concerns the production of biomolecules by one plant, mostly secondary metabolites, that can induce suffering in, or give benefit to, another plant. The phenomenon could also be considered as a biochemical interaction among plants. The concept suggests that biomolecules (specifically termed allelochemicals) produced by a plant escape into the environment and subsequently influence the growth and development of other neighbouring plants. The subject not only deals with the gross biochemical interactions and their effects on physiological processes but also with the mechanism of action of allelochemicals at specific sites of action at the molecular level.