A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs [Paperback]

Daniel Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

Traditional Chinese medicine is perhaps the oldest system of health care in the world—and one of the safest and most effective. This first easy-to-use pocket guide provides everything readers need to know to explore Chinese herbal medicine for themselves. The book includes:

   •  A brief overview of the basic terms and concepts of traditional Chinese medicine.
   •  Simple instructions on how to prepare herbal formulas at home.
   •  An illustrated guide to 108 of the most widely used Chinese herbs, with descriptions, therapeutic effects, preparation methods, and dosages.
   •  A guide to dozens of readily available prepared herbal formulas for common ailments.
   •  An index of symptoms and ailments.
   •  Listings of mail-order houses for herbs, herbal formulas, and other supplies.
   •  Suggestions for further reading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Daniel Reid's guide to over one hundred popular Chinese herbs and dozens of formulas will be greatly welcomed by those eager to uncover the wisdom of this extraordinary tradition of health care."—Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac., coauthor, Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine

About the Author

Daniel Reid is a leading Western authority on traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist healing practices and has studied and practiced Chinese medicine for over twenty years. He is the author of The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing (Shambhala, 1993, 1994).

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570620938
• ISBN-13: 978-1570620935
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended home reference on Chinese herbs, March 11, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs (Paperback)

Don't let the small size of this book (328 pages in a paperback format) fool you; this book is absolutely packed with information on the healing herbs used in TCM --traditional Chinese medicine.

Author Reid has written a number of books on TCM. This herbal reference is well-written because it includes: the common Western name of the herb, the Latin name, the romanized Chinese name and the name in Chinese characters.

Packages of Chinese herbs may be labeled with any of the above, so this is really helpful. There is also a wonderful section on the principles of Chinese medicine and how the traditional herbal preparations are made. Some of the common combinations of Chinese herbs are included along with how to prepare them. There is a resource reference in the back. Highly recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compact Reference, August 25, 2005

By 

Chan Joon Yee "Dr Chan" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs (Paperback)

With so many phony TCM practitioners going around cheating uninitiated Westerners with their exotic claims and theories, it's good to have books like this which only provides the facts.

This small book manages not only to list but even provide some details on each commonly used Chinese herb. The herb's energy, taste and organs affected are all mentioned. It's definitely a good buy for anyone interested in learning more about one aspect of TCM as it is.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very nice reference for many exotic and some common herbs, July 24, 2009

By 

Vairochana "Laughing Buddha" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs (Paperback)

This book is an excellent companion to Reid's "The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity" There are 108 herbs commonly used in Taoist medicine. Only a few of the herbs are easily obtainable such as aloe, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. The majority of herbs however you will have to go to either a "Chinatown" or buy those herbs online. Each herb is broken down by it's affinity to yin or yang, and how each one corresponds to the meridians (body channels). There are a lot of great traditional compounds that have been used for centuries. There are treatments for all sorts of common ailments to virulent diseases that are considered difficult to treat or cure. And for the person in good health; there are formulas and recommendations to preserve that level and raise it higher into excellent health.