PDR for Herbal Medicines, Second Edition

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Joerg Gruenwald, «PDR for Herbal Medicines, Second Edition»

Thomson PDR | ISBN: 1563633612 | 2nd edition, 2000 | 858 pages | PDF | 9 Mb

Interest in and usage of herbal preparations as alternatives topharmaceuticals has exploded in recent years. Having a complete herbal referenceon hand is now absolutely necessary for doctors and other healers when a patientwants to add herbs--let's say St. John's wort--to his drug regimen. Should thepatient stop taking the Paxil he's been on for depression, and if so, how longmust he wait before he can start taking the St. Johns wort, and what's therecommended dosage?

The PDR for Herbal Medicines will go a long way towards answering suchquestions. The physician in this case would learn, after consulting thePDR, that "St. John's wort taken concomitantly with an SSRI ... may leadto an increased effect and possible toxicity 'serotonin syndrome', e.g.,sweating, tremor, flushing, confusion and agitation." The same physician willalso learn that the German Federal Health Authority's Commission E, which hasstudied the effects of hundreds of herbs, approved St. John's wort fordepressive moods, among other conditions.

For more information, the physician can read about the trade names, descriptionsof all the medicinal parts of the plant, actions and pharmacology (including thecompounds and their effects, with citations), the results of clinical trials,contraindications, precautions and adverse reactions (photosensitization is abiggie for St. John's wort), dosage information, and a complete list ofliterature citations.

The second edition of this mammoth guide includes over 100 entries more than the first, bringing the total tomore than 700. Additions include a selection of Asian herbs, such as BuplerumChinese (also known as Chinese thoroughwax), which is used in Chinesemedicine as an anti-inflammatory, and homeopathic preparations; a directory ofmanufacturers (with Internet addresses when available), a safety guide (don'tuse kava kava while nursing), and more. There's even a section that listsunproven uses for each herb. But make no mistake: this is a mainstream referencethat relies on scientific proof above all. Therefore, this is not a guide foreveryone, but for scientific and medical reference, it's a helpful andcomprehensive resource, and even those who push the herbal envelope will findmuch valuable information here. --Stefanie Durbin

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