Western Herbs according to Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Practitioner's Guide (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Each continent has unique herbs that have no equivalent elsewhere. I know of no Western herb equal to the Chinese herb tian ma (Gastrodia) for treating dizziness and epileptic seizures. Likewise, I find few herbs in the Chinese materia medica to rival saw palmetto, milk thistle, or fresh oat. Adding to one’s “toolbox” of active medicines enhances any practitioner’s abilities to more effectively treat patients. Thomas Avery Garran has written the first truly authoritative work on understanding and using Western herbs based on the TCM model. This book is a major achievement, allowing anyone trained in Chinese medicine to effectively and safely add Western herbs to their daily practice.”
(David Winston, RH(AHG), author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief and Winston and Kuhn’s Herbal Therapy and Supplements
)

"This is a valuable book to have for a practitioner as well as a student or individual using it for self-help." (
Making Scents, Vol. 13, Issue 1, Summer/Fall 2008 )

"Any herbal medicine collection must have this in-depth index of Chinese formulas applied to Western herbs." (
The Midwest Book Review, June 2008 )

"This is an unusual book, full of information and ideas for helping oneself and others. Garran is to be congratulated on a fine book about herbs, a book that is accurate and highly useable. Enjoyable reading. One of the best herb books to be published." (
Lee Prosser, ghostvillage.com, July 2008
)

"I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a serious interest in bringing the energy of East and West into their herbal practice. . . . Garran was a student of mine for many years and went on to study with outstanding Chinese herbalists in the U.S. and China. He took the direction I pointed out in Planetary Herbology a few steps further with a book that gives extensive descriptions of 58 important North American herbs so that their use will be practically available to TCM [traditional Chinese medicine] clinical practice." (
Michael Tierra, Instructor of East West Herb course, author of Planetary Herbology, and founder of the American Herbalists Guild, March 2009 )

"While the book has usefulness for the Chinese medical practitioner who is interested in Western herbs, the Western herbalist who is interested in Chinese theory as a method of clinical thinking will also find this book useful. As the world becomes more globalized, creolized, and cosmopolitan, so does the cultural application of the herbal agents of healing. This book is a strong step in that direction." (
Will Morris, Ph.D., DAOM, The Academy of Oriental Medicine, HerbalGram, No. 83, Aug-Oct 2009 )

Product Description

The first book to exclusively use Chinese medical theories and terminology to guide practitioners of Chinese medicine in the use of Western herbs

• Written entirely according to the theory, diagnosis, and treatment paradigm of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

• Explains how to combine and modify the standard TCM formulas to non-Chinese herbs suitable for Western practitioners

• Includes 58 monographs of common Western healing herbs, detailing how each plant is used clinically

The ever-growing number of Chinese medicine practitioners in the West has brought about an amalgamation of many styles of Chinese medicine and various other forms of medicine from around the world. This book addresses the increasing demand for knowledge of how to integrate plants from outside the standard Chinese materia medica into the fold of Chinese medical practices in the West. It is the first in-depth guide to using Western herbs exclusively according to the theories, diagnoses, and treatments of traditional Chinese medicine that harmonizes the unique terminology and theories of TCM with other botanical medicines.

The book contains 58 monographs, illustrated with full-color photographs, of herbs commonly used by Western herbalists. Each herb is grouped by the basic categorization for medicinals in Chinese medicine, such as Herbs that Resolve the Exterior and Herbs that Regulate Blood. The monographs detail the energetics, function and indication, channels entered, dosage and preparation, and contraindications of each plant. The author also explains how to use the herbs to modify standard formulas used in everyday Chinese herbal medicine, based on his own clinical experience. An appendix of Western Analogs for Chinese Herbs further highlights 40 Chinese medicinals that have related species growing in the West.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Healing Arts Press; 1 edition (February 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159477191X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594771910
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not what I expected, January 9, 2009

By	M. Maria - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's a beautiful book, in fact it seems to me more like a coffee table book than a real practitioner's handbook. There are lots of beautiful full page color photos but not as much information as I'd hoped. The text and approach are good, certainly authoritative, but I expected to find many common western herbs listed. I live in Europe and most of the herbs in the book are specific to north America. Lovely book but not as useful as I'd hoped.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable new herbal for the clinic, February 22, 2008

By	Benjamin Zappin "fiveflavorsherbs" (Santa Cruz, Ca.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a practitioner of both Western and Chinese herbal medicine I am thrilled to see this book in print. This book contains many features that are completely unique to clinical guides in the Traditional Chinese Medical literature in print in the West. First off, the photographs taken by the author are gorgeous, unrivaled in any clinical herbal that I know of. The adherence to T.C.M. terminology makes this book more coherent than other attempts to take on this task in the past which ought to allow for easier inclusion of the included Western herbs in a clinical setting for the practitioner. Especially engaging are both the authors commentary on combining medicinals for specific conditions and for combining Western herbs with Chinese formulas. Also of value in the commentary is the extraordinary erudition - the guided tour of the best of 2000 years of Materia medicas and clinical manuals of both herbal traditions. I could go on, but well, just buy the book...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on the use of North American herbs in TCM, January 26, 2009

By	Karen Vaughan "Herblady" (Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thomas Avery Garran has written an excellent book, combining his deep experience using western herbs in Chinese medicine with a thorough understanding of the energetics of the herbs. Although there have been a couple of earlier books attempting to use western herbs in the sophisticated Chinese herbslism, this one lacks the serious dosing errors of Holmes's Energetics of Western Herbs and is more extensive than Jeremy Ross's larger book, Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine. His practical experience with each of the herbs profiled gives this book an edge, and his ability to compare western analogues of Chinese herbs helps Chinese medicine fit within a locally sourced herbal tradition. The book allows one to make use of the generally fresher and organic American sourced herbs while using the genius of Chinese Medicine diagnosis.