Science-based botanical reference. . - Book Corners - Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements - book review

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2003 by Jule Klotter

Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements (2nd edition)

by Dennis J. McKenna, PhD; Kenneth Jones; Kerry Hughes, MSc, with Sheila Humphrey, IBCLC

Haworth Herbal Press. 10 Alice St., Binghamton, New York 13904-1580 USA;

Phone 800-429-6784 or 607-722-5857; fax 800-895-0582; www.haworthpressinc.com

Softbound/Hardback, ISBN 0-7890-1265-0, c. 2002; 1140 pp; $79.95 (soft)/$169.95 (hard)

Botanical Medicine: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements provides comprehensive and organized science-based profiles of 34 of the most popular botanicals used in the US and Europe (See sidebar). Dennis McKenna, PhD, and colleagues at the non-profit Institute of Natural Products Research published the first edition under the title Natural Dietary Supplements: A Desktop Reference in 1998. The reference was designed to give pharmacists and practitioners reliable information about major botanicals so that they could tell consumers how to use the supplements safely and effectively. This new edition contains information from hundreds of new studies on the pharmacognosy, ethnopharmacology, and ethnobotany of the 34 botanicals profiled.

Chapters that profile each of the 34 botanicals in the book follow a consistent pattern of headings and subheadings. Each chapter begins with botanical data that includes the scientific as well as common names for the herb, its botanical family, and descriptions of various species. Next, history and traditional uses of the various parts of the profiled herb are given. For example, traditional use of ephedra (confirmed by contemporary studies) holds that the aerial part induces sweating while the root can stop excessive sweating.

After an overview of the historical and traditional uses, the plant's chemistry is discussed, including variations according to species and to the parts used. Modern-day therapeutic uses of the herb and/or its major constituents are given in the fourth section. The profile on Ephedra, for example, includes information about ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, major alkaloids found in the botanical, as well as about the whole herb. Several pages are then devoted to referenced information gleaned from hundreds of preclinical and clinical trials (both positive and negative) that provide information about the herb's effects, safety, and therapeutic uses. Dosage and a safety profile with special attention to the herb's use during pregnancy and lactation complete the profile.

Botanical Medicines gives pharmacists and doctors the information they need to provide clients with reliable information about the safe and effective use of herbs now found in nearly every drug store. It is an excellent reference book and worth its price.

RELATED ARTICLE: Dietary Supplements Profiled in Botanical Medicines

Astragalus

Bilberry

Black Cohosh

Capsicum

Cat's Claw

Chamomile

Cordyceps

Cranberry

Dong Quai

Echinacea

Eleuthero

Ephedra (Ma Huang)

Evening Primrose Oil

Feverfew

Garlic

Ginger

Ginkgo biloba

Ginseng

Goldenseal

Grape Seed

Green Tea

Hawthorn

Horse Chestnut

Kava

Licorice

Milk Thistle

Red Yeast Rice

Reishi

Saw Palmetto

Schisandra

St. John's wort

Uva Ursi

Valerian

Vitex