Customer Reviews

The Psychopharmacology of Herbal Medicine: Plant Drugs That Alter Mind, Brain, and Behavior

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This book is a technical, complete and academic discussion of herbs that affect the brain, including therapeutic herbs, sedatives, as well as illicit herbs (herbs used to get a "high"). The author, Marcello Spinella, emphasis the importance of weighing all the risks and benefits of herbal medicine and discusses the latest research from scientific journals. Among the herbs reviewed here are valerian, chamomile, kava, passionflower and ginkgo. Also included is an overview of neuroscience and pharmacology. This is a very good reference book for someone serious about understanding how herbs affect the brain.

What makes this book stand out from the many hundred others out on the market is that it approaches the effects of herbs on the nervous system from a scientific, rather than pseudo- or anti-scientific, perspective. Rather than viewing herbs as being "alternative" and separate from science, Spinella scrutinizes the empirical evidence for and against the claimed effects of herbs on the brain. This book should be in every psychologist's, psychiatrist's, and physician's book shelf.

I have read this book more than once, used it for reports, casual reference, and as a topic of conversation at parties for friends who are more interested in geeking out about psychopharmacology than experiencing it firsthand. Complete with molecular models, a ton of references, discussion and beautiful organization, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the field. Doctors would do well to pay more attention to herbal medicines like those discussed in this book.

I bought this book, and never found the time to read it, but did skip around a bit. This book has excellent research, and if I was an herbalist or doctor i would probably find some useful information in it.