23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"THE" DEFINITIVE & COHERENT GUIDE FOR UNDERSTANDING MEDICINAL HERBS & THEIR APPLICATIONS, January 24, 2006
This review is from: The Healing Power of Herbs: The Enlightened Person's Guide to the Wonders of Medicinal Plants (Hardcover)
I FEEL I MUST FIRST SAY: TO DO "NO HARM" MUST COME FIRST & DOES IN THIS GUIDEBOOK!
I read a large number of alternative health and medical texts and some are better than others. I borrow as many as possible from the library, but Michael Murray's books, along with James Duke's, are among the few that I purchase and keep handy at all times. The approach of these two men are always safety first, and they follow the first cardinal rule of medicine which is to do "NO HARM". For that reason I feel a level of security that allows me to make the leaps of faith needed in order to try new things that will affect the health of myself and my loved ones.
IN A NUTSHELL: A terrific read, but very useful and efficient too!
The Healing Power of Herbs, contains detailed and coherent discussions about the effects and practical applications of 37 medicinal herbs and 34 common ailments treated by them. A short history of "herbal medicine" precedes these discussions.
WHAT IT IS:
SECTION 1: Pages 1-28
INTRODUCTION: BASIC HISTORY OF HERBAL MEDICINE & PREPARATIONS
SECTION 2: Pages 29-344
MATERIA MEDICA: In alphabetical order from Aloe Vera to Valerian, 37 of the most useful and commonly used herbs are examined. For each Herb examined, the same organization of the discussion is utilized as follows:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, HISTORY & FOLK USE, PHARMACOLOGY - [effects are itemized and examined in detail], CLINICAL APPLICATIONS - [what ailments the herb may be used for -each ailment is examined as it pertains to the particular herb], DOSAGE - [different forms of the herb and uses are detailed in regard to dose], TOXICITY - [usually described as the toxic effects on lab animals or the lethal dose in 50% of the cases {LD50}].
REFERENCES - [There is a long list of references at the end of each herbs discussion, which both validates the information and gives one other places to research the particular herb.]
SECTION 3: Pages 345-390
RECOMMENDED HERBS FOR SOME SPECIFIC HEALTH CONDITIONS - Again there is a repeated structure:
AILMENT - alphabetically listed, is described to aid in its identification and to illustrate its seriousness. After the description there is an "Herbal Recommendation" paragraph for each ailment. The use of multiple herbs in combination makes
section 3 important and indispensible when dealing with a specific ailment, as section 2 deals with the herbs and their actions individually rather than their uses in combination with other agents.
At the end of the ailments' discussion, there are references for each specific ailment which can lead one to further study quite easily.
GLOSSARY: Page 393-402
INDEX: Page 403-410
BOTTOM LINE: Works well with the "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine", Revised 2nd Ed. by M. Murray and J. Pizzorno
Currently value-priced at $12.95 through Amazon or other discounters, this is an extreme value and a great read filled with useful Herbal information. Bear in mind that this book, originally written in 1992 and later revised and expanded in 1995, is starting to need a major update. There are herbs like Ephedra that are included in this book, but have been taken off the market due to safety concerns. Though I have the revised second edition I would buy a third edition of this book in a heartbeat.
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