Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #595711 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-18
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.02" h x 4.14" w x 6.88" l, .61 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

From Library Journal
The Graedons, both respected authors (The People's Pharmacy) and speakers, offer advice on the safe use of home and herbal remedies. The first section combines tested scientific research and accumulated folk wisdom to provide the health consumer with treatment suggestions for common ailments. Also included are possible causes and symptoms for selected conditions, as well as contact information for product manufacturers. The second section lists the 50 most commonly used herbs, including their ingredients and information on usage, dose, adverse effects, and drug interactions. By combining herbal and folk remedies, clearly highlighting dangerous herb-drug interactions, and summarizing consumer issues, the Graedons have created a consumer resource that is entertaining (favorite home remedies include coconut macaroons for diarrhea) and easy-to-use. However, more comprehensive medicinal herb reference resources include the Complete German Commission E Monographs (American Botanical Council, 1998) and the PDR for Herbal Medicines (LJ 3/1/99), among others. Still, this is recommended for smaller public library collections that don't own the other titles.
-Andy Wickens, Univ. of Washington Health Sciences Lib., Seattle
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
From a familiar, reliable source, a worthwhile addition to the spate of recent alternative medicine guides. The Graedons (The People's Pharmacy, 1976, etc.), newspaper columnists and radio-show hosts, are right up-to-date on what is known about herbal treatments; from interchanges with their devoted public, they also offer suggestions for help via popular folk remedies. They begin by listing 20 of their favorite home remedies, those ``we have either tried ourselves with good results or heard about repeatedly from readers . . . in some cases, there is scientific research to back up the folk wisdom. Included here are gin-soaked raisins for arthritis (take nine per day), and Archway Coconut Macaroon cookies for treatment of diarrhea (a remedy first suggested by a Crohn's-disease sufferer), as well as the more familiar ginger tea for colds and coffee for asthma attacks. The Graedons warn early and often of the possible dangers inherent in herb use, particularly in combination with prescription drugs. Some of the most dangerous herb-drug interactions they document: licorice and Lanoxin (the potassium- depleting properties of licorice can cause heart arhythmias); kava-kava and Xanax (both are sedating; together, they are dangerously so); and ginkgo and Coumadin (increased risk of hemorrhage). The authors also remind us that no one, inside the government or out, monitors herbal preparations. Even the claim of ``standardized'' extract means nothing (``standardized to what?'') when in many casesSt. John's Wort, for onethe active constituent substance hasn't been identified. That said, however, the Graedons do endorse herbs as appearing ``amazingly benign'' compared with prescription medications. The first part of their guide is an extensive listing of common ailments, from allergies to warts, with their best suggestions for relief. Part two looks in depth at 50 herbal remedies, from aloe to valerian. A well-organized guide to therapeutic options that never goes overboard. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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