Customer Reviews

Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs

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As an avid reader (and writer) of books on herbal medicine, I have to say that Blumenthal, Goldberg, and Brinckmann's Herbal Medicine is simply the most authoritative reference for the use of Western herbs on the market today. Herbal Medicine--Expanded Commission E Monographs augments the "gold standard" of scientifically oriented herbal therapy, the Commission E Monographs, with histories, in-depth and comprehensive discussions of scientific research, color photos, and practical recommendations for the use of herbs in therapy, some of which are to be found in no other book. While the tone of the book is academic and the scientific complexity of the subject matter may scare away some potential readers, anyone who uses any of the herbs most commonly available in the USA today can profit by referring to this book.

Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs is an alphabetically presented dictionary of herbal plants and their known medicinal properties. Illustrated in color throughout, each herb is provided with its basic descriptive information including both popular and botanical name, and it's own bibliography for those seeking further and even more detailed information on medical applications. Herbal Medicine is a core volume for any serious personal or professional, mainstream or alternative, medical resource collection.

I am a clinical professor in a school of pharmacy and am admittedly biased toward traditional "western" medicine. However, any objective person would have to agree that there are major "gaps" in the information this book provides. In the section on St. John's wort, this book states that there are no known contraindications or drug interactions with St. John's wort. There are in fact serious drug interactions with this product, including anti-rejection drugs (resulting in at least one case of organ rejection in a renal transplant patient) and potentially fatal interactions with other anti-depressants (most importantly MAOIs). This book has extensive information on historical use of herbs, pharmacology and uses... but lacks important safety information. No clinician should use this book as his/her sole source of information on herbal products.

This book gives comprehensive information about commonly used herbs. Each chapter consists of herb description, pharmacology, general uses and side effects. There are references after every chapter to substantiate the text. Every physician or lay person interested in herbal medicine should own this book.