Product Description

The most current scientific information from the world's leading medical journals.

Although there is growing consumer awareness of alternative and complementary medicine, there is a lack of comprehensive information available on herbal products. While pharmacists, physicians and other health care professionals sometimes offer advice, their patients want more information.

The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs is a comprehensive, fully-illustrated reference to the 50 most commonly prescribed herbs.

A complete description of each herb is featured along with its other common names, possible adverse effects, therapeutic uses for treating illness and disease as well as potential drug interactions.

Some of the herbs included are:

• Aloe Vera
• Evening Primrose
• Goldenseal
• Scullcap
• Burdock
• Tumeric
• Tea Tree Oil
• Meadowsweet

This guide is written by professional pharmacists, one a naturopathic doctor, using the most current research and clinical testing.

The authors' easy-to-understand text, combined with the latest findings and clear directions for safe dosages, makes this practical reference on medicinal herbs a primary resource of data.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1126572 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
A compilation of well-written and easily understandable reviews of herbal medicines... highly recommended for public and academic libraries. -- Beth Thomsett-Scott, E-Streams 08/2004

Review
A layman's guide to using herbs safely. (Appleton Post-Crescent 20040427)

The text is well written and will be easily understood by the lay reader as well as the health professional. (Leslie Behm American Reference Books Annual, Volume 36 2005)

A compilation of well-written and easily understandable reviews of herbal medicines... highly recommended for public and academic libraries. (Beth Thomsett-Scott E-Streams )

Easy to read, well-organized book is a blessing for the patient... great book... should be on every practicing physician's desk. (Carl C. Bell, MD Journal of the Natural Medicine Association )

A book on herbal medicine that I can recommend wholeheartedly... one of the best books on the subject to date. (Dr. Edzard Ernst Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies )

Pharmacists team up to define not only what the most common medicinal herbs are but also what they are not. (Science News )

About the Author

Dr. Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD, is a licensed pharmacist, and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. She has held a Medical Research Council of Canada post-doctoral fellowship at the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND, is a licensed pharmacist, a naturopathic doctor, and Head of Botanical Sciences at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. He is a Senior Adviser at the prestigious Natural Health Products Directorate of Health Canada, which is responsible for investigating and certifying the medical efficacy and safety of herbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource for consumers and professionals
This well researched guide presents fifty popular herbs used for medicinal purposes. The herbs are profiled in an A-Z format (from alfafa to willow) and each entry presents a thumbnail sketch which covers common uses, active constituents, adverse effects, cautions and contraindications, drug interactions, and doses. This is followed by more in depth information covering the description, parts of the plant used, traditional use and current medicinal use and a lengthy analysis of the scientific research that has been conducted on the particular herb. This latter section is referenced and the source materials can be found in the back of the book. The authors, who are licensed pharmacists, are also objective in their statements so the reader is sometimes provided with conflicting research and can make informed decisions. A handy list located in the front of the book, "Medicinal Herbs for Health Conditions" allows the reader to see in a glance which herbs can be used for particular ailments. This is an excellent reference source for healthcare professionals. The casual user will also find much useful information here although the scientific research sections may be a tad too scholarly.

VERY GOOD
Kinda like a PDR for the top 50 herbs but better.
Since it is only 50 and does not include homeopathic remedies it is not
the perfect , 'bible' alternative book but it is very much worth the price and worth owning, especially for novices.It is good for anyone as it does give side effects, interactions etc.etc.
Along with this you need Prescriptions for Natural Cures by Balch and you will be quite pleased with all the helpful info you have at your fingertips.
I really do use both frequently, and wouldn't want to be w/out either.