The most current scientific information on medicinal herbs.

Written by two leading pharmacists, this clinical reference provides reliable and authoritative information on the most popular medical herbs, which are easily found in a pharmacy or health food store. A botanical description and an analysis of the medicinal qualities of each herb accompany complete details of the preventative and therapeutic values for health conditions ranging from allergies and arthritis to menopause and more.

Special attention is paid to safety, potential adverse effects and possible drug interactions. Presented in a user-friendly format, each entry combines the most current research with reliable dosage recommendations. This all-new edition features five additional herbs -- ashwagandha, bitter orange, hoodia, oregano and red clover -- and extensively revised text and layouts.

Features include:

Thumbnail sketches of each herbQuick-reference guides that match health conditions with herbal treatment optionsExplanations of pertinent FDA regulationsA glossary of botanical medical terms and an extensive index.

This outstanding guidebook to medicinal herbs is ideal for data-hungry consumers and health care professionals.

Dr. Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND

Heather Boon's profile page

Food Network star Chef Michael Smith has been cooking professionally for over twenty years. An honours graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York, Chef Michael's contagious love of food has earned him friends and admirers worldwide. His early career was spent in restaurants from London to South America, but in 1992 Chef Michael returned to Canada and joined the kitchen at Prince Edward Island's The Inn at Bay Fortune. Soon Chef Michael's focus on regional cooking and local ingredients had earned the restaurant a reputation as one of the top places to eat in Canada. Six years later, Chef Michael invited television cameras into the inn's country kitchen for his first hit television show, The Inn Chef, which premiered on the Life Network. Its popularity helped to launch Food Network Canada. After opening his own restaurant in Halifax, Chef Michael returned to Food Network Canada in 2001 in the show Chef at Large. It was followed by Chef at Home in 2004, which gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Chef Michael's home kitchen and the way he cooks for family and friends. This show became wildly popular almost immediately and still remains the highest rated Canadian show on Food Network Canada. Chef Michael is the author of three previous Whitecap cookbooks. Open Kitchen: A Chef's Day at The Inn At Bay Fortune, published in 1998, won the bronze medal at Cuisine Canada's Cookbook Award. Chef Michael followed its success with The Inn Chef and Chef at Home: Cooking with and Without a Recipe,which has sold over 30,000 copies.

Michael Smith's profile page

There are many books on the market that have lists of medicinal herbs and many are good. However, I believe that 55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs is certainly one of the better ones. Each herb listed comes with common uses, active constituents, adverse effects, cautionscontraindications, drug interactions, and doses. As well, the authors include relevant research and selected references. One of my favorites is ginger and I was pleased to see that The Commission E, a German government advisory body, has approved the use of ginger in the management of motion sickness. It's not much wonder I like ginger because not only is it a digestive aid, it is a circulatory stimulant and lowers cholesterol. As well, Boon and Smith give studies that were conducted with asthma, migraine, cancer, obese, and diabetes patients and how ginger affected their wellness. The book covers common and well-known herbs; ones that most people have heard of at some point, especially if the interest lies in herbology. The information is concise but most of all understandable. Any lay person would have no problem gleaning the information from 55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs and transforming it into their own use. The authors' research is extensive and well documented. I encourage practitioners to consider 55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs as a resource for their library.

Reader Views

55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs provides informative profiles on each of the herbs covered. The information includes: description of the plant, parts used, traditional use, current medicinal use, relevant research, adverse effects, cautions, and selected references.... The information is presented well and is easy to understand and use.

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