Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

Author: Edited by Andrew Chevalier (English), Translated by Liang Lixin, Jiang Hongbing, etc.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: This book features over 550 plants, striving to balance both aspects. It provides a detailed introduction to the history, traditional uses, and folk applications of each plant, explaining the scientific research on known active ingredients, efficacy, and potential new uses. Some traditional uses are based solely on the experience of practitioners, guiding readers on how to properly utilize herbs, although lacking scientific evidence. Overall, herbal medicine is both a science and an art. When selecting medicinal plants for this encyclopedia, we focused on those commonly used worldwide to achieve the greatest health benefits. Common medicinal plants are included, many of which can be found in health food stores and pharmacies, such as ginkgo biloba, which is also covered in the encyclopedia. More household-known foods than herbs, like lemons, are included as they are valuable medicinal products in themselves. Other lesser-known but highly important medicinal plants are also included, such as poison ivy, a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat various mental health disorders and currently being researched as a potential cancer treatment. Throughout the global history of herbal medicine, humans have continuously advanced different herbal traditions from ancient times to modern times and into the future. This book, which focuses on herbal medicine from Europe, India, China, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, will provide you with a complete picture of world herbal medicine. It details the history, traditional uses, and folk applications of over 550 plants, explaining the scientific research on known active ingredients, efficacy, and potential new uses.