Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health (Wiley-Interscience Publication) [Paperback]

Walter H. Lewis (Author), Memory P. F. Elvin-Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1982 | Series: Wiley-Interscience Publication

Plants as Medicine.... A Natural Approach to Self-Health Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man?s Health, Walter H. Lewis, Memory P.F. Elvin-Lewis

Medical Botany is a fascinating look at the facts and fictions surrounding plants and man?not only which plants affect our bodies, but how they affect them. Authoritative, rich in anecdote and lore, lavishly illustrated, this encyclopedic reference brings within your reach the curative, healing, poisonous, allergenic, and psychoactive properties of thousands of plants. Its ready reference format allows you to turn instantly to information about a specific plant?s properties, its history, its use in orthodox medicine (where applicable) and its use in folk medicine. Discover a wealth of information on plants that have been used for such purposes as to treat peptic ulcers, to assist in the fight against cancer (in combination with chemotherapy), to help alleviate gout and diabetes, and to promote the healing of wounds. Each section begins with historical background of the plants discussed, with colorful stories ranging from Socrates? fatal hemlock to Timothy Leary?s experiments. There are informative discussions of how your body works, with sections covering heart and circulation, metabolism, nervous system, urogenital system, gastrointestinal tract, allergies, ear, internal poisons, and more. This intriguing compendium/reference will enlighten, entertain, and give you a healthier knowledge of plants. Praise for Medical Botany...

"Skillfully organized, neatly written, highly informative, and well illustrated, this is a stimulating and useful reference volume. It is not a mere catalog of medicinal plants but a carefully prepared review of injurious, healing and nourishing, and psychoactive plants...should be a lasting joy for reference and a source of continued satisfaction..." ?American Scientist

"I would recommend this text highly...useful for the layman who wishes an introduction to the topic. The authors have provided a fresh look at a classic subject and should be commended for their efforts." ?Economic Botany

"...a vast compendium of information on medically important plants, both harmful and useful...commendable." ?New England Journal of Medicine

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Discusses the ways in which a man's health is affected by plants. Categorizes plants into injurious, remedial, and psychoactive. Includes plants from seaweeds to flowering plants in addition to the bacteria and fungi. Covers plants affecting areas from cancer, oral hygiene, respiratory system and panaceas to those acting as stimulants, hallucinogens and depressants.

From the Back Cover

Plants as Medicine.... A Natural Approach to Self-Health Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Mans Health, Walter H. Lewis, Memory P.F. Elvin-Lewis

Medical Botany is a fascinating look at the facts and fictions surrounding plants and man—not only which plants affect our bodies, but how they affect them. Authoritative, rich in anecdote and lore, lavishly illustrated, this encyclopedic reference brings within your reach the curative, healing, poisonous, allergenic, and psychoactive properties of thousands of plants. Its ready reference format allows you to turn instantly to information about a specific plants properties, its history, its use in orthodox medicine (where applicable) and its use in folk medicine. Discover a wealth of information on plants that have been used for such purposes as to treat peptic ulcers, to assist in the fight against cancer (in combination with chemotherapy), to help alleviate gout and diabetes, and to promote the healing of wounds. Each section begins with historical background of the plants discussed, with colorful stories ranging from Socrates fatal hemlock to Timothy Learys experiments. There are informative discussions of how your body works, with sections covering heart and circulation, metabolism, nervous system, urogenital system, gastrointestinal tract, allergies, ear, internal poisons, and more. This intriguing compendium/reference will enlighten, entertain, and give you a healthier knowledge of plants. Praise for Medical Botany...

"Skillfully organized, neatly written, highly informative, and well illustrated, this is a stimulating and useful reference volume. It is not a mere catalog of medicinal plants but a carefully prepared review of injurious, healing and nourishing, and psychoactive plants...should be a lasting joy for reference and a source of continued satisfaction..." —American Scientist

"I would recommend this text highly...useful for the layman who wishes an introduction to the topic. The authors have provided a fresh look at a classic subject and should be commended for their efforts." —Economic Botany

"...a vast compendium of information on medically important plants, both harmful and useful...commendable." —New England Journal of Medicine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (January 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471861340
• ISBN-13: 978-0471861348
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Botany is a Great Book., March 28, 2001

By 

Yvonne Ogren (San Luis Obispo, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health (Wiley-Interscience Publication) (Paperback)

I find that I refer to this book all the time. Medical Botany isn't a book for non-readers, not a kid's book by any means but it is very well-constructed, highly interesting, and chock full of information not easily found elsewhere. The authors of this book are considered by their peers in biology and botany to be THE medical botanists. They have spent many years in the jungles of Peru searching for new medicinal plants and few writers are better prepared for this than the Lewis's. Memory Elvin Lewis is a world-class microbiologist and her husband Walter H. Lewis is widely considered to be the world expert on pollen, allergy and plant connections. Mr. Lewis is also the senior botanist at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I consider this to be one of the most valuable books I own and highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in botany, medicine, or both.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Medicinal Plants, December 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health (Wiley-Interscience Publication) (Paperback)

Medical Botany by the Lewis's is the book to read and own about medicinal plants. The authors are botanists of first order and have long been considered by many to be the world's experts on allergy and plants. For the person with a serious interest in the subject, this is a great book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plant Chemistry, June 7, 2002

By 

Cindy Jones (http://www.sagescript.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health (Wiley-Interscience Publication) (Paperback)

Although plant chemistry hasn't changed in the past 25 years, so much more has been learned in that time. This is a great book that covers the basic chemistry of medicinal plants and their effect on human physiology, however, it is time for this book to be updated.