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Medicinal Plants of the World [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Ben-Erik van Wyk (Author), Michael Wink (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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  • This item: Medicinal Plants of the World by Ben-Erik van Wyk Hardcover

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This stunning new book is a user-friendly guide to 320 plants."
—J. S. Whelan, Choice, September 2004 (Choice )

"An in-depth, scientifically accurate, superbly presented, seminal survey and guide to the best-known medicinal plants ... a reference that health care professionals will relish and refer to time and time again."
—Bookwatch, July 2004 (Bookwatch )

"Medicinal Plants of the World is a scientifically accurate guide to the best-known and most important medicinal plants of special commercial or historical interest which is a rapidly expanding field."
—Joanne S. Carpender, National Gardener, June 2004 (National Gardener )

Product Description

Medicinal Plants of the World is a comprehensive and scientifically accurate guide to the best-known and most important medicinal plants, including those of special commercial or historical interest. The book aims to conceptualise this rapidly expanding field of study and includes:

--Descriptions of more than 300 medicinal plants and their close relatives. Each entry gives a short summary with the following information: a description of the plant, the geographical origin, therapeutic category, historical and modern uses, active ingredients and pharmacological effects.

--More than 500 full-colour photographs that will assist in the identification of the plants and related or similar plants.

--Introductory chapters on various healing cultures of the world, general concepts, common ailments and their treatment with modern phytomedicines and with traditional remedies and the study of active compounds and their pharmacological effects.

--A quick guide and checklist of all the most important and well known medicinal plants of the world, listed according to scientific name but giving the common names, family name, region of origin, therapeutic category, and plant parts used. Also included is a glossary of medical and related terms.

The book will appeal to both laypersons and those with a professional interest in medicinal plants. It is an essential reference guide for health care professionals---doctors, nurses and especially pharmacists---or anyone with an interest in medicinal plants and their uses.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated; 1 edition (February 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0881926027
  • ISBN-13: 978-0881926026
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #40,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #32 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Herbal Remedies
    #61 in  Books > Outdoors & Nature > Plants
    #20 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Naturopathy

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Ben-Erik Van Wyk
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, thorough, user-friendly reference, April 23, 2004
By AnthroMom "Karol" (Nacogdoches, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Medicinal Plants of the World (Hardcover)
This really is a great addition to your shelf if you're an ethnobotanist, botanist, or health practitioner. The book is very user-friendly and has all of the medicinal plants from the German Commission E monographs, the new ESCOP and WHO's (World Health Organization) medicinal plant monographs. The entries are short, but packed with synonymous names, origin, useful parts, uses, preparation/dosage information, warnings, and status. The listing of active ingredients is quite nice -- and more explicit than many similar sources. There is additional information on over 900 additional medicinally-useful plants in the appendix. In addition to useful and easy-use-indexes, the book has a nice introductory section. The summary information on botanical medicine use in numerous cultures is more complete than the usual reference of this sort. The text is clearly written and the book itself is of high quality with crisp photos, easy-to-read print, a solid hardcover binding. It's definitely worth the price and makes a good, easy reference.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A reference that health care professionals will relish, July 9, 2004
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Medicinal Plants of the World (Hardcover)
The collaborative effort of Ben-Erik Van Wyk and Michael Wink,Medicinal Plants Of The World isn't just another casual listing of plants and their homeopathic applications: it's an in-depth, scientifically accurate, superbly presented, seminal survey and guide to the best-known medicinal plants and describes over three hundred plants and relatives with short descriptions, geographic origins, therapeutic category, historical and modern uses, and active ingredients. Add 700 color photos to help identification and a checklist of the top 900 plants listed by scientific and common name and you have a reference that health care professionals will relish and refer to time and time again.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference book..and pretty too..., April 24, 2005
This review is from: Medicinal Plants of the World (Hardcover)
In the past few years, I have become more interested in herbal remedies and essential oils. Although I have obtained a few good books from the essential oil sources concerning their products, I have also taken the time to investigate and cross-reference material from other sources. Hence, my purchase of MEDICINAL PLANTS by Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink. While Rodale's book on Herbs provided me with information about how to grow selected plants, and THE REFERENCE GUIDE FOR ESSENTIAL OILS by Connie and Alan Higley explained how to apply the oils - make infusions and/or nebulize oils, MEDICINAL PLANTS provides information about the botany of these plants as well as a history of their various applications within the framework of health systems such as `Aromatherapy', `Homeopathy', and traditional medicine -- Chinese, Ayurvedic, or something else.

You will sometimes hear it said, probably by disingenuous spokespersons for international Pharmaceutical and/or Petro-Chemical companies or their ilk, that nontraditional treatments such as the application of essential oils is dangerous because the most of the oils, herbs, etc. have not been "government tested". The truth is, most have been tested, just not perhaps by the US FDA (some have been "officially" tested, but many carry GRAS or "generally regarded as safe" ID, many have been found safe and efficacious in Europe or Canada). In addition, traditional medicines from China and India represent thousands of years of testing though trial and error and outcome. Some of these remedies are so old you will never discover their origin while the origins of others are well known. Lastly, not everything is known about many "modern" medicines which are generally subjected to shorter periods of inquiry before they are released for commerce.

Now, this does not mean you should use any old plant wily-nily. Of course not. And, these authors recommend you seek professional help in the form of a traditional healer before you apply a tincture, ointment, etc. made with a natural product. But books like this volume by a reputable European source are a good place to begin educating yourself. Some plants have known side effects and some can kill. "Fortunately", the authors write, "herbal drugs or botanical(s) have a large therapeutic window between the `effective' dose and the `toxic' dose."

Plants can be sources for vitamins and minerals, sports medicine, and food. It may surprise you to learn that many so-called "modern" medicines have a natural basis (aspirin and digitalis, to name but two). Perusing this book, I was surprised to see how many of these medicinal plants I grow in my own yard. This beautiful book includes about 325 pages of color photos and text depicting and describing various plants and plant parts with 1-2 entries per page. In the back you will find an index linking traditional medicines and ailments and a `Quick Guide to Commercialised Medicinal Plants" which will tell you among other things that `Modern Medicine' has appropriated a number of traditional plant sources for its own uses.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and thorough
"Medicinal Plants of the World" strikes a wonderful balance between being exhaustive and too cursory, the book reviews the medicinal properties of approximately 300 plants and... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dr. Martin Paulus

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
Great reference. Not only informative and pictorial (photos), but also a good reference to medicinal uses for ailments in the back and secondary metabolites and their effects... Read more
Published on April 18, 2008 by C. Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference
Excellent color photographs, sufficient to identify the medicinal plants in the wild, along with an very good overview of medicinal chemistry and uses of medicinal plants makes... Read more
Published on August 15, 2007 by sky blue

5.0 out of 5 stars Hluhlwe-Imfolozi, South Africa
On 10 July 2005, I purchased the original hardback version, as published by Briza in Pretoria (in the bookshop attached to the Game Park at Hluhlwe-Imfolozi [pronounced... Read more
Published on February 16, 2007 by John Scarborough

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