Customer Reviews

Dr. Duke's Essential Herbs: 13 Vital Herbs You Need to Disease-Proof Your Body, Boost Your Energy, Lengthen Your Life

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To put it simply: three stars? Give me a break! There is no-one who can claim the same level of proven factual knowledge about ethnobotany, medicinal herbs, or herbal medicine as James A. Duke. Check his online ethnobotany database if you want some solid evidence. Investigate his outstanding background. Even Consumer Reports, the perennial skeptic when it comes to alternative medine claims, has touted James A. Duke as a reliable authority for those who wish to explore herbal alternatives.

As a professional biologist with a lot of biomedical experience, I am skeptical, too, by profession and nature; but my skepticism extends to ordinary allopathic medicine as well. Standard medicine is much more expert at the PR game, but its sad record in treating many diseases is there for anyone to see. Try reading Limits to Medicine: Medical Nemesis, the Expropriation of Health by Ivan Illich. Once you see the ENTIRE medical situation in perspective, you might uderstand why many smart people seek to benefit from Dr. Duke's unique honesty and expertise.

I've been taking some of the herbs that Dr. Duke mentioned in his book but there were some that I didn't know about. Since I've started taking them in less than two weeks I've noticed a definate increase in my energy level and just a sense of balance and well being. A great book!

This is a handy reference guide to 13 popular herbs and their functions. It is written for the average person, so you do not have to sift through scientific jargon. I like the way that Dr. Duke bluntly describes what each of his favorite herbs does, some of the possible side effects and certain contradictions. He also mixes a bit of humor in his writing and describes his own experiences. Maybe these herbs will not totally disease-proof your body, but they are a cheaper and safer alternative to expensive drugs. You also have to give Doc Duke credit for keeping up his lifestyle while in his 70's. Now, in my 50's, I have personally followed his recommendations and found that they worked.

Doug Setter, Bsc. author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim: A Prevention Guide

This is the first book I've read concerning herbs and I was impressed by James Duke's knowledge. THe book is very readable and in-depth. The first two chapters do a nice job of summarizing the book so if you're in a hurry you can just read them. Two concerns i had: 1) Duke occasionally would vacillate between recommending taking a herb in its natural form versus taking a standardized extract. Sometimes he seemed in favor of either but occasionally would first favor one but then the other. 2) W.r.t kava-kava in particular Duke stated there was not any need to be concerned about becoming addictive to it. Yet he stated that one should not take it for more than a few (i think it was 3-6 months) months consecutively. If my memory is correct (help gingko help!) he also stated that Germany's Commission E suggested a 6 month limit on taking it. But he gave no reason why one should limit the length of time one takes this herb; in other instances he would give a reason why this should be done (e.g. regarding echinacea he suggests limiting it to when you are about to get a cold or perhaps just to the cold/flu season; otherwise, with longer use, your body will not continue to respond to its effect). I was left wondering if he didn't give a reason because he doesn't really believe one needs to limit the use of kava kava over time. Perhaps he put it in the book out of litigation concerns. But i really don't know.

Anyhow though - i was quite impressed by the book.

First I have to point out that this book was among nine that I checked out at the local library (and one of two I decided to add to my personal library) all on the same subject. What I'm going to say here is based on a comparison of the general amount of material available both in book and on-line form.

First off, the book is very easy to read. Actually, with Duke's little stories and added facts, it's about as enjoyable as an average novel in one's favorite genre. Personally, I'm more interested in facts and information than stories, so I skipped most of the shaded boxes that were obviously tales to illustrate a point. Duke also puts extra tidbits (such as research studies, historical uses, etc.) in boxes scattered around, and they make the reading a bit more interesting. He also explains any jargon immediately (though perhaps explaining the same ones several times) so as not to lose the average reader (meaning a non-herbalist/scientist/physician). He also writes personably and comfortably. It's very much like a person speaking to you, rather than reading a non-fiction book. However, the book is packed with information, all of which he backs up with at least two sources (studies, references to other professionals, etc.).

The format of the book also makes it rather unusual. Duke sections the book into an introduction, then a chapter for each of his chosen few, followed by a user-friendly index (meaning the words you want to look up are actually there :) ). The chapters dedicated to the plants themselves are laid out this way: Name of plant (incl. Scientific), Intro, What the plant is and what it can do for you, how it can help (divided by troublesome condition for quick reference), how to take it and how much, useful combinations (again divided by what it's being combined with for reference ease), cautions or concerns (divided by situation, i.e. pregnancy or breast feeding). There is no way to over-emphasize how user-friendly this book is.

Though I was HUGELY impressed by the tone, etc. of this book, I do not want to down play the amount of referenced information he provides. Duke also explains what active ingredients are in the plants, which part of the plants are used for what and how to make the most of their uses, what studies have been done on them, who prescribes them, patient's experiences with them, etc. Information he gives you is always backed up with plenty of references and research, several of which I verified, all of which were reliable. Duke is also very respectful (though sometimes rather blunt) as concerns these sources, even if he disagrees with what they have to say (why, yes, he does include the 'other guy's' opinion).

Even the introduction is useful, providing comparisons of cost, the pros and cons of supplements versus natural plant, how to prepare fresh plants and how to know if the supplement you're buying is actually a quality product.

For sake of time, I'm cutting my list of impressive points about this read short. Let me point out that you will want to read this with a notebook and pencil nearby. It's also nice to study your own copy to make notes, etc., if you're a hard-core herb lover. :)

For a quick contrast, I've read MANY books over the years on such subjects. Most share only one opinion, basic information, and are very dry to read. Some are difficult to read as well, or make it hard to find that particular passage you're looking for. And, truly, what is more agitating than reading a book that also requires the Random House Unabridged dictionary?

I do have to agree that Duke mentions the various ailments he's had over the years. He does this as a contrast between his experiences with pharmacutical drugs and the plants he recommends. He does this to prove a point in most cases, or to show how he came to his personal level of dosage. It is also true that he recommends using a standardized dosage rather than a fresh plant. If you pay attention, he points out that this is a relatively new view for him, the change being based on overwhelming scientific evidence that there is no real way to measure how much of a supplement you're actually getting from a fresh plant. He even quotes the study that convinced him (it involved many plants from one garden, some of which were high in an ingredient whilst others contained nearly no active ingredient at all). He does blatently state that there is no better way than the natural way, and that if you can also eat the fresh plant, it is surely a benefit to do so.

This is not a book for tedious reading, or a medical textbook full of jargon and information a reader can't recall later. This is an entirely new breed of herbalist reading, upbeat and fun (which makes it stick in your head for a very long time). If you're going to read only one book, read one like this, one that's ridiculously easy to recommend- both to beginners in the field and old pros.

Cheers!

Although the book title leads us to believe that Dr. Duke will focus on 13 herbs, he includes about three times that many in his book and discusses them in detail. He tells what the herbs are, how they should be taken and in what quantities, and what possible drawbacks there are.

This sounds like a very interesting book, but I question the validity of some of the author's claims. First, he emphasizes quantity. All herbs he suggests should be taken "as much as you can stand", and "lots of it" (his favorite words). Second, he believes that (low-cost) herbal teas are inferior to (expensive) herbal pills. Third, he uses the same language as the pharmaceutical industry. While pharma-companies, for example, advertise that you need not worry about heartburn from hot Mexican meals as long as you take their pills that prevent it, Dr. Duke says that you can go on an alcohol binge and not worry about a gout attack as long as you take celery seeds. Not a very responsible advice. Fourth, Dr. Duke tells us throughout the book which herbs he himself takes and in what quantities. Considering the amounts he takes, I wonder if there is any room left in his stomach for actual food. Fifth, the book's title makes you think that Dr. Duke can disease-proof your body, but Dr. Duke admits that he suffers from quite a number of common ailments. So, obviously, the title is inflated. And so may be some of his claims inside the book.

Some of his information is quite useful, especially when he makes cross-comparisons with other edible/medicinal plants, for example horse chestnut, buckwheat, and gingko and tells us how they could help reduce or prevent spider and varicose veins. I was fascinated though, that his own wife does not seem to trust his herbal knowledge and prefers to look for help elsewhere.