The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies [Hardcover]

Joe Graedon MS (Author), Sifu Teresa Graedon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1999

They made the drugstore a safer place. Now America's trusted health advocates and authors of the bestselling "The People's Pharmacy" provide wise guidance on the safe use of home and herbal remedies.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Graedons, both respected authors (The People's Pharmacy) and speakers, offer advice on the safe use of home and herbal remedies. The first section combines tested scientific research and accumulated folk wisdom to provide the health consumer with treatment suggestions for common ailments. Also included are possible causes and symptoms for selected conditions, as well as contact information for product manufacturers. The second section lists the 50 most commonly used herbs, including their ingredients and information on usage, dose, adverse effects, and drug interactions. By combining herbal and folk remedies, clearly highlighting dangerous herb-drug interactions, and summarizing consumer issues, the Graedons have created a consumer resource that is entertaining (favorite home remedies include coconut macaroons for diarrhea) and easy-to-use. However, more comprehensive medicinal herb reference resources include the Complete German Commission E Monographs (American Botanical Council, 1998) and the PDR for Herbal Medicines (LJ 3/1/99), among others. Still, this is recommended for smaller public library collections that don't own the other titles.
-Andy Wickens, Univ. of Washington Health Sciences Lib., Seattle
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

From a familiar, reliable source, a worthwhile addition to the spate of recent alternative medicine guides. The Graedons (The People's Pharmacy, 1976, etc.), newspaper columnists and radio-show hosts, are right up-to-date on what is known about herbal treatments; from interchanges with their devoted public, they also offer suggestions for help via popular folk remedies. They begin by listing 20 of their favorite home remedies, those ``we have either tried ourselves with good results or heard about repeatedly from readers . . . in some cases, there is scientific research to back up the folk wisdom. Included here are gin-soaked raisins for arthritis (take nine per day), and Archway Coconut Macaroon cookies for treatment of diarrhea (a remedy first suggested by a Crohn's-disease sufferer), as well as the more familiar ginger tea for colds and coffee for asthma attacks. The Graedons warn early and often of the possible dangers inherent in herb use, particularly in combination with prescription drugs. Some of the most dangerous herb-drug interactions they document: licorice and Lanoxin (the potassium- depleting properties of licorice can cause heart arhythmias); kava-kava and Xanax (both are sedating; together, they are dangerously so); and ginkgo and Coumadin (increased risk of hemorrhage). The authors also remind us that no one, inside the government or out, monitors herbal preparations. Even the claim of ``standardized'' extract means nothing (``standardized to what?'') when in many casesSt. John's Wort, for onethe active constituent substance hasn't been identified. That said, however, the Graedons do endorse herbs as appearing ``amazingly benign'' compared with prescription medications. The first part of their guide is an extensive listing of common ailments, from allergies to warts, with their best suggestions for relief. Part two looks in depth at 50 herbal remedies, from aloe to valerian. A well-organized guide to therapeutic options that never goes overboard. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312207794
• ISBN-13: 978-0312207793
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful source of quality information on home remedies!, November 10, 1999

By 

Gail A. (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (Hardcover)

This book is a must for any serious medical library. The section on herbs is as close as I've seen to a PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) for herbs--active ingredients, dose, adverse effects, etc. The authors have done a great job pulling together what information on herbs is out there into a very useful format. The section on home remedies is also very nice. Who would have ever guessed a coconut macaroon could be medically useful? ... or meat tenderizer. (Not to mention having few side effects.) Some of the stories of how these home remedies were discovered also make for good reading. Overall, a wonderfully useful compendium of natural remedies that values both empirical as well as anectdotal knowledge.

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for every home, November 30, 1999

By 

Connie Toverud (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (Hardcover)

This book should be read by anyone interested in being an informed health-care consumer. It will not replace the advice of your physician, but will give you a great deal of information your physician may not have. In this way you and your doctor can be colleagues in addressing your health maintenance.

The book is well-written, well-researched, and very easy to use. In these days of high prescription costs, it pays to try home and herbal remedies. After all, if they don't work for you, the drugs will always be waiting on the pharmacy shelf.

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best source out there for info on herbs and home remedies., November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (Hardcover)

This book is the most authoritative new source for all the information you need on herbs, home remedies, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. It includes an A-Z handbook of common symptoms and ailments, time-tested home and herbal remedies, an overview of the most popular herbs in the United States, Europe, and Australia, over 50 monographs with detailed herb information, and resource listings of herb web sites and products. It's a must have for anyone interested in staying healthy naturally.