Subject: Alt.folklore.herbs - medicinal herb FAQ (v.1.19) Part 6/7
Date: 22 Mar 1996 21:44:25 GMT
Summary: Frequently asked questions with answers, a general
 introduction to and a resource list for medicinal herbs.

Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th)
Version: 1.19

==========
3.3.2  Ayurvedic Medicine - an introduction
-----
by Dr. Duane Weed, D.C. (drweed@delphi.com)

The Ayurvedic system traces its roots to the Himalayan Mountains of
India over five thousand years ago. According to legend, a conference
was held in a Himalayan cave in which the greatest sages of India--some
after having traveled thousands of miles--met to discuss their
knowledge of their healing arts.  These scholars and teachers possessed
traditional knowledge about the medicinal plants of India that had been
handed down orally by the tribes of the Indian forests since the
beginning of history. At this conference, these sages compared and
combined their knowledge into one body which they called the Ayurveda,
from two Sanskrit words; Ayus, or "life", and Veda, or "knowledge".
"Ayurveda" has been translated as "the knowledge of life", and as "the
science of life".  It has been suggested that a more appropriate
translation would be "the knowledge of life span".

After this historic conference, the Ayurvedic knowledge was passed
orally from teacher to student for over a thousand years, continuously
growing as each Ayurvedic physician added his insights and experiences.
It was finally written down in the first century A.D. by the Ayurvedic
physician, Charaka.
By that time--and hundreds of years before the birth of European
medicine--Ayurveda had specialists in psychiatry, pediatrics,
gynecology, ear nose and throat, ophthalmology, surgery, toxicology,
virility, and fertility.

Ayurvedic medicine probably predates any other healing tradition in
existence today--even Chinese medicine. Even before the Ayurvedic
conference, knowledge of the medicinal plants of India had spread to
other continents.  Seeds from plants indigenous to India have been
found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs. Travelers had carried
information about Indian plants through Tibet into China, and Arabs had
traded for Indian herbs before the birth of Islam.
At the time of King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba traded herbs and spices
of India to the Israelites.  Ayurvedic medicine began to be studied by
Arab physicians and knowledge of the plants of India was passed on to
the Greeks and Romans.  By the first century A.D., when Charaka was
writing Ayurveda's first written records, Pliny was already describing
the plants of india to the Roman Empire in his NATURAL HISTORY. And
much more recently, as any American school child can tell you, a
Portuguese sailor by the name of Christopher Columbus discovered
America in 1492, while searching for a trade route to India to acquire
her herbs and spices.

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, health is dependent upon one's
ability to live in harmony with one's self and with the external
universe.  As much attention was given to illnesses of the mind as to
illnesses of the body.
The Ayurvedic  physician  taught  that in order to avoid illness and
pain, the patient must control the destructive (and self-destructive)
nature. Living in harmony with the environment was recognized as
essential to one's mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Ayurvedic physicians taught that prevention was more desirable than a
cure. Their ideal was to develop an individual's natural resistance to
disease to the point where one's immune system could function as one's
best medicine.
Their goal was to maintain an individual in his or her optimal health
throughout life, so that the ultimate goal of life--the awareness of
his or her connection with the life principle--could be pursued.

Today's Ayurvedic physicians, like their predecessors, recognize three
major body (or physiology) types which they refer to as the three
DOSHAS: VATA, PITTA, and KAPHA. One's body type is also referred to as
one's PRAKRITI, and is determined by heredity. Most people are actually
a combination of types; a VATA/PITTA type for example.  Ayurvedic
physicians evaluate their patients using such techniques as
observation, interview, and pulse diagnosis to determine the patient's
body (or physiology) type.  They then determine the imbalances that are
present in the body and make recommendations according to the patient's
body type.  Dietary and herbal recommendations make up a large part of
their treatments; but many other techniques such as meditation, hatha
yoga, aroma therapy, and music therapy are also employed.

Thanks to the Ayurvedic tradition, many herbal combinations based on
centuries of accumulated knowledge are available to today's eclectic
herbalists and natural health enthusiasts.  Ayurvedic herbal
formulations, like Chinese herbal formulations, are combinations of
many  different herbs that work synergistically.  Single herbs are
rarely if ever employed. Even though there are competent Ayurvedic
physicians in practice today, one does not have to see an Ayurvedic
physician to use an Ayurvedic herbal combination, as long as the recipe
of an Ayurvedic master is carefully followed.

Some of the most common herbs currently used in Ayurvedic formulations
are:

Acacia catechu                     Adhatoda vasica (Vasaka)
Andrographis paniculata            Aegle marmelos (Bel)
Alpina galanga                     Alstonia scholaris
Apium graveolens                   Ashwagandha root
Azadirachta indica (Margosa)       Boerhaavia diffusa (Hogweed)
Boswellia serrata                  Caesaipinia crista
Clerodendrum indicum               Commiphora mukul (Indian Bedellium)
Curcuma longa (Turmeric)           Cyperus rotundus
Enicostemma littorale              Fumaria parviflora
Glycyrrhiza glabra (Liquorice)     Gymnema sylvestre
Hedychium spicatum                 Hemidesmus indicus (Ind. Sarsaparilla)
Holarrbena antidysenterica         Inula racemosa
Momordica charantia (Bitter Gourd) Myrica nagi
Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil)        Paederia foetida
Phylianthus emblica                Picrorhiza kurroa
Pimpinella anisum                  Pistacia integerrima
Pterocarpus marsupium              Rubia cordifolia (Indian Madder)
Sida cordifolia                    Smilax china
Swertia chirata                    Syzygium cumini (Jamun)
Terminalia belerica                Terminalia chebula (Chebulic Myrobalan)
Tinospora cordifolia               Trachyspermum ammi
Tribulus terrestris                Trigonella foenum-graeceum
Vitex negundo                      Withania somnifera (Winter Cherry)
Zingiber officinale (Ginger)

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READINGS:

THE GARDEN OF LIFE,  AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HEALING PLANTS OF INDIA by
Naveen Patnaik, Doubleday, New York, 1993.

PERFECT HEALTH, THE COMPLETE MIND/BODY GUIDE by Deepak Chopra, M.D.,
Harmony Books, New York, 1991.

PERFECT WEIGHT, THE COMPLETE MIND/BODY PROGRAM FOR ACHIEVING AND
MAINTAINING YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT by Deepak Chopra, M.D., Harmony Books,
New York, 1994.

RESTFUL  SLEEP, THE COMPLETE MIND/BODY PROGRAM FOR OVERCOMING
INSOMNIA by Deepak Chopra, M.D., Harmony Books, New York, 1991.

RETURN OF THE RISHI by Deepak Chopra, M.D., Houghton Mifflin Company,
Boston, 1988.

-----
From Robert Hensley (Hensleys@aol.com):

Ayurveda is the world's oldest science of health care. The written
tradition dates back around 5,000 years, but the oral tradition in
India is timeless.

The basic principles of Ayurveda include:

1) Mind, body, emotions, and spirit are more than connected, they are
   one.
2) There are 3 fundamental principles of nature: called Vata, Pitta
   and Kapha, which govern all processes in all levels of our life.
3) Vata governs all movement, Pitta all heat and transformation, and
   Kapha all growth, structure and lubrication.
4) Everything we experience influences these governing principles.
5) If these principles that guide the processes of our body, mind, etc
   get "out of balance" due to poor diet, activity, etc. they can
   become overactive, and disease results.
6) If vata gets out of balance, for instance, it leads to overactive
   mind, poor circulation, poor nerve conduction, loss of memory,
   irregular elimination, uncomfortable menses, etc. -all things
   related to movement.
7) If pitta is out of balance, we can get excessive digestive fire,
   resulting in heartburn, excess stomach acid, a hot temper,
   inflammations, etc. -all things related to heat and digestion.
8) If kapha gets out of balance, it can lead to chronic congestion,
   weight gain, cellulite, cholesterol buildup, acne, oily skin, etc.
   - all things related to structure and lubrication.
9) Herbs in synergistic combination, diet, routine, meditation, etc
   are used to restore balance to restore proper operation of the
   various systems. Balance restores health.
10) Ayurveda does not focus on decreasing symptoms, it focuses on
   increasing health. Where there is health, there is no room for
   disease.
11) Symptoms are only used as one of eight ways to determine the
   underlying imbalance or weakness that has allowed the disease to
   occur.

Due to foreign intervention in India for hundreds of years, Ayurveda
became fragmented, and it has been revived over the past 35 years by
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. As a result of growing scientific verification
at major research institutions, it is the worlds' fastest growing
health care system.

==========
3.3.3  Pointers to homeopathy sites and stuff
-----

Check these sites:

The HomeoWeb:
http://antenna.nl/homeoweb

FAQ Homeopathic Therapy page by Neil Sandow, Pharm.D.
http://community.net/~neils/faqhom.html

The Homeopathy Homepage:
http://www.dungeon.com/~cam/homeo.html

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
  faqs/homeopathy (an olde document from the stoneage - 1993 or so...)

Drop me a note if you notice a changed address - thanks.

==========
3.3.4  What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
-----
From sky3trs@INETWORLD.NET (Suzanne E. Sky, L.Ac.)

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a phrase used to describe a complex
system of medicine developed in China that has now spread around the
world in its various forms. This system is over 3,500 years old. Its
fundamental basis is a philosophy which views humans as a microcosm of
the universe and inherently connected to it, to Nature and to all Life.

Chinese Medicine is actually a part of what is called Oriental
Medicine, because there are many different styles practiced, with the
same origins and medical foundation, in China, Japan, Korea and other
Asian countries. This medicine spread to America and Europe as
practitioners migrated and settled in different countries. Now Oriental
Medicine is practiced and taught all around the world.

-----
I.  HISTORY & CURRENT USE

The history of Chinese Medicine is very long, complicated, and
fascinating. There have always been many different styles of practice
and theories of medicine in China. The early Communist leaders
destroyed much of the old information but finally decided that Chinese
Medicine was a valuable method. The principles were simplified and
began to be taught in colleges. Before this, Chinese Medicine was
passed down through generations of families, through apprenticeship and
training that began at a young age. Now there are several well
established Colleges in China that train Chinese Medicine
practitioners. Westerners can study there as well. In Chinese
hospitals, Chinese Medicine is practiced alongside modern Western
Medicine. For example, cancer patients in China receive radiation
treatment or chemotherapy, and they also receive Chinese herbal
medicine to ameliorate the side effects.

-----
II.  WHAT MODALITIES DO CHINESE MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS USE?

Chinese Medicine is a large area of study and practice. Some of the
modalities it includes are:

- Herbal Medicine: An advanced and effective system of herbal medicine.

- Acupuncture & Acupressure: Use finger pressure or special fine needles
to harmonize and activate the body's own healing ability.

- Moxibustion (moxa): Special therapeutic warming techniques.

- Diet & Nutrition: A unique and effective system which teaches the
energetic qualities of food and how it effects us.

- Chi Kung and Tai Chi: Systems of movement and breathing that promotes
health. Chi Kung is also an ancient healing method.

- Tui Na: Chinese medical massage

Practitioners are trained in several or many of these modalities and
specialize in one to a few areas of expertise.

-----
III.  SCHOOLING AND PRACTICE

Many schools in America and Europe are fully accredited and confer
Master's Degrees in Oriental Medicine. Schooling takes 4 to 6 years.
The requirements include Western science and medical courses along with
about 2,000 hours in Chinese Medical Theory, techniques and practice.
This includes in-depth study of Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine,
and other modalities. In addition, anywhere from 800 to 1,200 hours of
clinical observation and internship are required in an acupuncture
clinic. The traditional way of learning, apprenticeship, is still in
existence, but is less common today. In America about 20 states certify
or license Acupuncturists for practice, through an examination process.
There are over 30 schools in America and many schools and practitioners
in Europe.

-----
IV. ACUPUNCTURE IS RECOGNIZED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes over 250 illnesses
successfully treated by acupuncture and the list continues to grow.
Among these are included: PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), gynecological
disorders, anxiety, depression, arthritis and joint problems, colds,
flus, sinusitis, cough, bronchitis, headaches, numbness and poor
circulation, stress, fatigue, recovery from injuries.

-----
V.  QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR ACUPUNCTURIST

How and where (or with whom) did they study? (School or apprenticeship)

How long was their training? Currently some health professionals can
attend what amounts to a weekend class and then practice acupuncture
under their medical license. They may know where to stick a few
needles, but they are not trained in Oriental Medicine.

What modalities do they use?

How long have they been practicing?

-----
VI. INTERNET RESOURCES

A great Acupuncture page with lots of resources http://acupuncture.com/

Foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine
http://www.demon.co.uk/acupuncture/index.html

Australian Medical Acupuncture Society http://www.ida.com.au/amas/

==========
3.3.5  Bach (and other) Flower essences
-----
This entry was much longer - but this is the herbFAQ, so go get the
full entry from my www / ftp sites - look under the /faqs/, it'll be
there latest on the 25th of March.

-----
From sky3trs@INETWORLD.NET (Suzanne E. Sky, L.Ac.)

Flower essences are liquid preparations, containing only minute traces
of actual flowers, which convey the vibrational pattern and essence of
specific flowers. Because of this, their action is subtle and extends
beyond the physiological. Their action is not biochemical, but is
vibrational. These gentle essences enjoy a reputation of being very
safe. They have no side-effects and are non-toxic. Some people state
they don't 'feel' any change or effect from using flower essences.
However, many people find the flowers provide an essential factor in
their healing process. Each person responds to flower essences
according to their inner rhythm and needs.

Research in the modern field of psychoneuroimmunology shows a clear
interrelationship between physical illness, stress and emotional/mental
outlook. Flower essences help address issues which often underlay
stress and health problems, helping to 'untie' or release these
mental/emotional energetic knots. Flower essences can help transform
emotions, attitudes or patterns of behavior to enhance one's
development, growth and awareness. Flower essences expand our
understanding of health care, recognizing the interweaving of
spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects of wellness.
The name most closely associated with flower essences is that of Dr.
Edward Bach, the English physician who first discovered them. In the
1930's, he introduced his set of 39 Bach Flower Essences that changed
the world of natural medicine forever.

Dr. Bach's Life and Discovery of Bach Flower Essences

Dr. Edward Bach was a remarkable man. He was an early pioneer of
natural medicine who discovered results when he treated the person
rather than the disease. Born in 1886, Bach entered the medical
profession from a sincere desire to help others. Early on in his
practice he noticed that the patients personality or temperament was
more helpful in deciding which medicine would be most effective than
any other factor.

Early in his career, Bach studied bacteriology and became fascinated by
the connection between a person's colon flora and their health. He
discovered that a vaccine made from the patient's intestinal bacteria,
and injected into their blood stream, gave excellent results,
especially in chronic diseases. When Bach discovered homeopathy, he
modified his method and made homeopathic preparations known as nosodes
(remedies made from pathological tissues). He classified the intestinal
bacteria into seven main groups and made preparations still known today
as Bach's Seven Nosodes. Soon, he found that when a patient entered his
office, he could immediately tell which type of flora would be
predominant in that person, and which nosode they would need. From this
Bach correlated seven main personality types and began prescribing the
Nosodes solely on the basis of the patients personality, rather than
laboratory tests. The results were even greater than he expected, and
he saw clearly the importance of treating the person rather than their
disease.

While Bach had great respect for homeopathy and its founder, Dr.
Hahnemann, he refuted the basic premise of homeopathy, that like cures
like. Bach states "It is obviously fundamentally wrong to say that
'like cures like'. ...Like may strengthen like, like may repel like,
but in the true healing sense like cannot cure like. ....And so in true
healing, and so in spiritual advancement, we must always seek good to
drive out evil, love to conquer hate, and light to dispel darkness.
Thus must we avoid all poisons, all harmful things, and use only the
beneficent and beautiful." (Collected Writings, page 113)

Bach became dissatisfied with using the intestinal Nosodes, desiring to
find a natural method which would not require using pathological
material. He felt herbs would provide the most suitable material and
began investigating the plant world. As Bach continued to work with and
observe people, he became even more convinced that a person's temperament
and personality were the factors that determined what illnesses they
were prone to and what medicines would help them.

The first two plants he discovered and used in his practice, that are
still Bach flower essences today, were Impatiens and Mimulus. The third
one was Clematis. This was in 1930. Bach was so pleased with the
results, he decided to give up his use of nosodes altogether and seek
out other herbal remedies to add to his repertory. Dr. Bach gave up his
successful, lucrative and prestigious Harley Street office and set out
for Wales to discover new healing plants. Little did he know he was
about to discover a whole new form of natural medicine and herbal
preparation.

Tromping around Wales for many years led him to discover the remaining
36 Bach flower remedies. Bach was very particular in his selection of
flowers and where he found them. Each of his remedies is a specific
botanical entity, and substitutions are not equally effective. Bach was
a sensitive as well as a medical researcher and physician. This blend
made him search out only non-toxic plants that offered the highest
vibratory patterns. Of the 39 essences we attribute to Bach, 37 are
from plants, trees and bushes. One remedy, Rock Water, is from a
special spring. The 39th, is a combination of several remedies, used
for acute and emergency situations.

Bach found great results using the flower essences with people who came
to him from all over. No matter what illness the person had, he only
gave remedies in accord with their mental/emotional state of being.
Bach himself became ill several times and only recovered after
discovering and using the appropriate flower essence. He discovered
several essences in this way.

Dr. Bach died in his sleep in 1936, feeling his lifes work was
complete. He stated that the 38 flower essences he discovered would
cover every possible area of need. His goal was to discover a safe,
effective system of medicine that even the simplest person could use to
help themselves, without a doctor. He felt he achieved this goal with
his system of the Bach Flower Remedies, which anyone can learn and
apply with a little study.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Flower essences work most beneficially as part of a wholistic program
of health care, including exercise, nourishing diet, stress reduction,
inner work, play, and rest. They are not a substitute for medical
attention or professional psychological counseling. If you are ill,
please consult a qualified physician.

==========
3.4 Commercial posts and how to get rid of them
-----
Instead of fretting over commercial posts, we all should take a cool
approach to the problem.  Whenever I see a message like "Make quick
cash!", "Great Anti-Cellulite Cream!", "Don't be Lonely!", "Earn
$50,000 a week!" or something along those lines, I forward the message
to the postmaster where the message originated from, explaining why I
find the post inappropriate or offensive.  Chances are that the
postmaster will look into the issue and have a talk with the abuser,
if not go ahead and cancel his/her account altogether (has been known
to happen).

If the offensive message originated at an academic institution, then I
know I am going to get the sucker in a lot of trouble.  Universities
have strong policies about the misuse of their computer resources.  It
is likely that after receiving complaints, the offenders will lose
their accounts, and in addition experience the wrath of some
disciplinary committee.

So, for the good sake of the net, if you see a commercial message
posted by idiot@morons.are.us, forward the message with a piece of
your mind to postmaster@morons.are.us.  You will be doing everyone a
favor.

Gloria Mercado-Martin
desidia@community.net

==========
3.5 The Ames Test
-----
>Does anyone know more about this Ames test?

The Ames test cultures mutations of bugs (usually Salmonella spp) that
are unable to grow without the amino acid histidine and adds suspected
mutagens to the culture medium (after incubating them with liver
extract to expose them to lysosymal activity).  If the bugs then grow,
the mutation is deemed to have reversed (ie they now synthesise
histidine) and the test substance is regarded as (ultimately)
mutagenic. It is the case that the majority of known chemical
carcinogens are also mutagens according to the Ames Test.

The problem is that also according to the Ames Test the prevalence of
environmental mutagens is so high that the human population should
long ago have been wiped out by cancer if the extrapolations were
correct. (The extrapolations being histidine gene mutagenicity equals
ultimate carcinogenic action, and salmonella bugs equals people.) This
is of course acknowledged by pathologists - but seems not to be
understood by the rank and file scare mongers who like to appear
to be *scientific* in their attacks on herbalism.

jonno@teleport.com (Jonathan Treasure)

==========
3.6 Trying out the placebo effect
-----
> It's really hard to judge whether the effects were the result of the
> ..herb.., or whether I just thought these effects were occurring because
> I was seeking for them to happen (constantly checking myself to see if
> I notice any change - a bit like the placebo effect I guess).

It's nice to see someone wondering whether they were subject to the
placebo effect!  Too many people seem to be a bit too convinced by
their own personal experiences.

If you are concerned about a placebo effect you might want to try your
own little experiment.  Get some large empty gelatin capsules from a
health food store.  Put sugar in half of them and your ginkgo capsule
(which should be small enough to fit) in the other (with sugar to fill
up the rest of the space. Have a friend label some bottles with numbers
(the more bottles your use, the more likely it will be that you aren't
just guessing right).  The numbers will correspond with whether the
bottle contains the sugar or the ginkgo but only your friend will know
which is which.  Then have your friend put the capsules in the bottles.
Complete one bottle and then go on to the next.  Don't look at the
capsules as you take them and be aware of any subtle ways that you
might be discerning the difference (e.g. weight, aftertaste etc.)  You
might want to use a rating scale of your alertness. Be aware that if
you choose the ginkgo, it might simply be a coincidence, so make sure
that the difference in ratings is big.

MORAVCSIK@clipr.colorado.edu (Julia Moravcsik)

==========
4 Good Printed Sources
-----
Additions, opinions and missing details are welcome.

==========
4.1 Good Books on Herbs and Herbal Medicine
-----
I've been shopping. I'll update the list as soon as I've read all the
new books - nah, just kidding. But as soon as I find the time off from
my other projects. Promise! Anyway the REALLY good books in the 'these
I don't have' -part have received some new comments marked ***.

The list so far:

Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West.
  1993, Red Crane Books, 826 Camino de Monte Rey, Santa Fe,
  New Mexico 87501, USA.
  ISBN 1-878610-31-7 (paperbound); listprice USD 19.95.

Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West.
  1989, The Museum of New Mexico Press, P.O.Box 2087, Santa Fe,
  New Mexico 87503, USA.  They do not accept VISA.
  ISBN 0-89013-182-1 (paperback); listprice USD 11.95.

Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.
  1979, The Museum of New Mexico Press (address as above).
  ISBN 0-89013-104-X (paperback); listprice USD 11.95.

Michael Moore's books on herbal medicine are the best I've seen to
date, and they're fun to read, too.  Go get his on-line books from
his homepage or sunSITE, too; see 6.1 and 7.1 for details.

Maude Grieve: A Modern Herbal, in two volumes.  (You need them both.)
  1931, reprinted in 1971, Dover Publications, Inc.,
  180 Varick Street, New York, N.Y.  10014, USA.
  ISBN 0-486-22798-7 (I), 0-486-22799-5 (II), listprice USD 9.95 each.
A good all-round book as a reference; it has so much information on
so many plants that it's not really outdated yet. 866 pages + index...

Steven Foster + James A. Duke: A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants,
  Eastern/Central North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)
  1990, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  ISBN 0-395-35309-2 (hardcover); listprice USD 24.95.
  ISBN 0-395-46722-5 (paperback); listprice USD 16.95.

Steven Foster + Yue Chongxi: Herbal Emissaries - bringing Chinese
  Herbs to the West.
  1992, Healing Arts Press, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767.
  ISBN 0-89281-349-0.  USD 16.95.
Very thorough description of Chinese plants (with growing instructions)
for us Westerners. Good Stuff. (I LIKE books with more than 2 pages per
plant. These guys use about 6 pages per...)

Susun S. Weed: the Wise Woman Herbal series (Healing Wise, Menopause,
  Childbearing Year, and maybe more)
  Healing Wise: 1989, Ash Tree Publishing, PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY
  12498, USA.  ISBN 0-9614620-2-7.
  Childbearing Year: 1986, Ash Tree Publishing.
  Menopausal Years: 1992, Ash Tree Publishing.
Interesting approach to Herbal Healing.

Lesley Bremness: The Complete Book of Herbs - a practical guide to
  growing and using herbs.
  1988, Viking Studio Books, Penguin Books Ltd., 27 Wrights Lane,
  London W8 5TZ, England.  ISBN 0-670-81894-1.
Basic book for the beginner; nice pictures. Also cultivation.

-----
These I don't have (and thus all is hearsay); they are listed by author:

James A. Duke: CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs.
  1985, CRC Press, Boca-Raton, FL.

Rosemary Gladstar: Herbal Healing for Women.
  1993, Fireside Books, Simon & Schuster, New York
  ISBN 0-671-76767-4 (softcover); list price USD 12.00
*** It's a good one.

James Green: The Male Herbal:  Herbal Health Care for Men and Boys
  1991, Crossing Press, Freedom, CA. ISBN 0-895-94459-6 (hard cover).

James Green: The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook
  1990, Simplers Botanical Co., Box 39, Forestville, CA  95436
  listprice (paperback) USD 5.00.

Christopher Hobbs: booklets on various topics (Valerian, Echinacea,
  Milk Thistle, Usnea, Medicinal Mushrooms, Natural Liver Therapy,
  Vitex, Immune Therapy).
  Botanica Press, Box 742, Capitola, CA 95010.  (Most are USD 5-10).
Accurate and balanced articles.
* Good buy!

David Hoffmann: The New Holistic Herbal
  1990 (3rd edition), Element Books Ltd, Longmead, Shaftesbury,
  Dorset, England. ISBN 1-85230-193-7 (softcover); list price USD ?

David Hoffmann: An Elders' Herbal (don't let the title throw you)
  1993, Healing Arts Press, Vermont. ISBN 0-89281-396-2 (softcover);
  list price USD 14.95.

David Hoffmann: The Herbal Handbook: A User's Guide to Medical
  Herbalism.
  1988, Healing Arts Press.  USD 10.95.
All texts by Hoffmann are reliable.

Marie-Louise Kreuter: Natural Herb Gardening
  Macmillan Publishing Company, 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
This is a translation from German. (I know because she has other books
in German.)

Claire Loewenfeld: Herb Gardening
  Faber and Faber Limited, 3 Queen Square, London, WCIN 3AU

segments.  It quickly escapes cultivation, and has become naturalized
  1974.  USD 6.95.
*** Actually not bad, once you get a closer look at it. LOTS of tables
    you can look up things in.

S. Mills: Out of the Earth: The Essential Book of Herbalism.
  1992, Viking Press.

Michael Murray + Joseph Pizzorno: Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
  Prima Publishing, P.O.  Box 1260MP, Rocklin, California 95677.
  Listprice USD 18.95.

Penelope Ody: The Complete Medicinal Herbal.
  Dorling Kindersley, USD 29.95.
Has most everything the beginner needs and then some.

Jeanne Rose: Jeanne Rose's Modern Herbal.
  USD 9.95

Debra St.Claire: Herbal Preparations and Natural Therapies: Creating
  and Using a Home Herbal Medicine Chest. Video + book package.
  1989, Morningstar Publications, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA.
  ISBN 0-9623812-0-9, listprice USD 140.
It is 142 pages of pure gold... and the videos show you how to do it
in your own kitchen. (Rusty Taylor (rustytay@orca.esd114.wednet.edu))

Michael Tierra: Planetary Herbology: an integration of Western herbs
  into the traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic systems.
  Lotus Press, P. O. Box 6265, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-6265, USA.
*** Now THIS one is a gem.

Michael Tierra: The Way of Herbs.
  1990, Pocket Books, New York.  ISBN 0-671-72403-7 (paperback).
*** What would this one be in Japanese? Herb-do? (grin) Nice book.

Rudolf Fritz Weiss, MD: Herbal Medicine.
  1988. Listprice USD 55.
  Translation of the 6th edition of Lehrbuch der Phytotherapie.
  Beaconsfield Publishers LTD, Beaconsfield, England.
This book is organized by system and subdivided by diseases and is
written from an MD's perspective.  Contains a lot of useful
information.  (kathjokl@aol.com)
*** Actually too expensive. Go buy Michael Moore's books instead.

-----
East-Asian traditional healing (ETH) (also called TCM, Traditional
Chinese Medicine) (no, I don't have any of these - yet):

Dan Bensky, Andrew Amble, Ted Kaptchuk: Chinese Herbal Medicine
  Materia Medica, 2nd. edition.
  Eastland Press, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 1993.
The standard ETH Materia Medica.

Dan Bensky, Andall Barolet: Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas &
  Strategies, 1st. edition.
  Eastland Press, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 1990.
The companion Formulary.

>starting a course of acupuncture and Chinese herbology -- does anyone
know any good books on this subject?

From healingpgs@aol.com (HealingPgs):
Read Ted Kaptchuk's The Web That Has No Weaver.  Most of the Seattle
acupuncture schools use this as a first year text and it's a lovely,
intelligent explanation of the basics of TCM.  The herb book that
is most popular with our local acupuncturists is Dagmar Ehling's
Chinese Herbalist Handbook.  It's laid out in a very user-friendly
fashion.  The big herbal reference works for most Western trained
acupuncturists are the Eastland Press books by Dan Bensky -- they
are probably available through your school bookstore.

-----
Aromatherapy starter kit:

Patricia Davis: Aromatherapy, An A-Z.
  1988, The C.W. Daniel Company LTD, Saffron Walden, England.
  ISBN 0-85207-185-x (softcover); list price USD 19.95.
*** I'd like somebody to send me some better Aromatherapy titles.
  This one is good if you know a lot and just want to look things up
  but it doesn't give you an overview.

==========
4.2 Good Books for further studies
-----
So now you feel you've read enough books, but you're still glassy-eyed
from reading the 'constituents' -part of the books (or the various
ailment descriptions) - time to go shopping for some heavier stuff:

-----
Norman Grainger Bisset (Ed.): Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals,
  A Handbook for Practice on a Scientific Basis.
  Translation of Max Wichtl (Ed.): Teedrogen, below.
  1994, CRC Press.
This book has 181 monographs on European herbs with descriptions and
photographs of the herbs, with lists of constituents, indications,
side-effects, delivery system, method for authenticating the herb
(usually a TLC), and the quantitative standards of the European
pharmacaopeias where it is listed as official.  Although it does not
explain mode of action, this is a technical, and scientific book of
excellent quality and a must for serious herbal students.  It is also
expensive as are all CRC books.  (kathjokl@aol.com)

Max Wichtl (Hrsg.): Teedrogen, Ein Handbuch fuer die Praxis auf
  wissenschaftlicher Grundlage.  2., erweiterte, ueberarbeitete Aufl.
  1989, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Birkenwaldstr. 44,
  D-7000 Stuttgart 1, Germany. ISBN 3-8047-1009-3, listprice DEM 178.
It's expensive in the original, too, but still a good reference -
  for pharmacognosists.

Harvey Wickes Felter, John Uri Lloyd: King's American Dispensatory,
  in two volumes.
  1898, 18th edition, 3rd revision. Reprinted 1993, Eclectic
  Institute, 14385 SE Lusted Rd., Sandy, OR 97055. 1-800-332-4372.
  No ISBN number. Listprice USD 225.
This one lists everything they knew about plants (and chemicals used
in medicine) back then, and does it exhaustively. This one is REALLY
good. Now for someone to translate all those weights and measures to
something even I can understand - cough, cough: Mr. Moore, your turn.

Trease + Evans: Pharmacognosy, 13th edition.
  1989, Bailliere Tindall, London.
There is a great deal of chemistry involved in this book but again it
is an excellent reference if this is the type of information you want.
(kathjokl@aol.com)

- A basic chemistry textbook.
- A good biochemistry textbook.  I have Stryer, 3.ed., so now even I
  understand something about enzymes.
- A good anatomy/physiology textbook (good to put you to sleep, too).
- The Anatomy Coloring Book
- The Physiology Coloring Book
- The latest Merck Manual, which lists main illnesses plaguing mankind
  - not for us hypochondriacs.  You might need a medicinese - english
  dictionary to understand it.
- The latest Merck Index, which lists medicines by their constituents;
  meaning you can check which extracted part of which plant is used in
  which over-the-counter medicine for what illness.

==========
4.3 Good Magazines
-----
The European Journal of Herbal Medicine.
  Medical Herbalists, 56 Longbrook Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6AH,
  UK, Europe. Phone + 01392 426022, fax + 01392 498963.
  3 issues per year, GBP 17.50/year (UK), 20.00/year (EC), 25.50/year
  (overseas). They don't take Visa, but check or money-order is OK.
Good Stuff on Herbal Medicine, from NIMH.

Medical Herbalism
  A free copy of Medical Herbalism is available on the Internet:
  try http://www.crl.com/~robbee/berg1.html.
  Bergner Communications, P.O. Box 33080, Portland, OR 97233.
  503-255-5976. bergner@teleport.com .
  Quarterly, USD 29/yr (Canada USD 34/yr, Foreign USD 39/yr).
  They don't take credit cards.

The Herbalist
  American Herbalist Guild, P.O. Box 1683, Soquel, CA 95073 USA.
  email herbs@got.net, phone 1-408-496-HERB; fax 1-408-496-4140.
  Professional USD 85 /year; Associate USD 50 /year; Student USD 35/year
  Benefactor USD 500+. Please add USD 15 for foreign subscriptions.

The Herb Companion.
  Interweave Press, 201 E. 4th St., Dept. I-WC, Loveland, CO 80537.
  (800) 645-3675, FAX (970) 667-8317.
  Bimonthly, ISSN 1040-581X, USD 24/yr. (Foreign USD 31/year).
Mainly culinary used and gardening of herbs, but lately the American
  Botanical Council and the Herb Research Foundation have had
  supplements on Herbs for Health (which is planned to continue).

HerbalGram (Journal of the American Botanical Council and the Herb
  Research Foundation)
  American Botanical Council, P.O. Box 201660, Austin, TX  78720.
  (512) 331-8868, FAX (512) 331-1924.
  Quarterly, ISSN 0899-5648, USD 25/yr. (Foreign USD 35/yr).
Technical and scientific, ethnobotany, latest medical research.
One BIG but: they push Varro Tyler something fierce. Just ignore
that and you'll find it's a nice magazine. (And no, don't buy any
books by Varro Tyler. Go get the good stuff listed in good books
above instead.)

The American Herb Association Quarterly Newsletter
  P.O. Box 1673, Nevada City, CA 95959 USA.
  Subscriptions: USD 35/supporting, USD 20/regular membership per year.

The Eclectic Medical Journals
  P.O. Box 936, Sandy, OR 97055 USA.
  Subscriptions: USD 84/yr for 6 issues.
Comment stolen from an article by Jonathan Treasure:
  '... the articles in The Eclectic Medical Journals, while giving a
  useful insight into the grass-roots of the Eclectic movement,
  hardly justify their annual cost of USD 84 subscription to the
  average practitioner.'

North East Herb Association Newsletter.
  P.O. Box 146, Marshfield, VT 05658-0146 USA.
  Subscriptions: USD 30-USD 100/yr depending on what you can afford.

The Protocol Journal of Botanical Medicine
  P.O. Box 108, Harvard, MA 01451 USA.
  Subscriptions: USD 96/yr professional; USD 75/yr students;
  USD 120/yr international.

United Plant Savers (dedicated to replanting endangered and threatened
  medicinal plants),
  P.O. Box 420, East Barre, VT 05649 USA.
  USD 35 - USD 100 sliding scale.

The Herb Quarterly
  Long Mountain Press, 223 San Anselmo Ave, Suite 7, San Anselmo,
  CA  94960. (415) 455-9560, FAX (415) 455-9541.
  Quarterly, ISSN 0163-9900, USD 24/yr. (Foreign USD 29/year).

American Herb Association Quarterly Newsletter
  P. O. Box 1673, Nevada City, CA 95959

Planta Medica
  Should be in any pharmacy/pharmacognosy university library.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology
  Should be in any pharmacy/pharmacognosy university library.

-----
Also check sunsite.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-
healthcare/herbal-references/literature/herb-journals.

==========
5 Other sources

==========
5.1 Napralert - online commercial database
-----
I asked Mary Lou Quinn about Napralert, and was surprised when she
signed, Managing Director, NAPRALERT...  She states the difference
between Medline and Napralert as follows:

NAPRALERT is and always has been restricted to world literature
regarding natural products.  Medline is not restricted.  Just as
one example, if you query NAPRALERT on the key word AMYGDALIN, you
will get only that literature pertaining to the compound AMYGDALIN
(otherwise known as LAETRILE).
If you query Medline, not only will you get the above, but you will
also get lots of articles dealing with the Amygdala of the brain,
anatomy, physiology, etc.  It has never been NAPRALERT'S goal to be
all inclusive regarding medical science.  However, if you want the
most comprehensive database on Medicinal plants and Natural products,
then NAPRALERT is the way to go.

She also snailed me an information package.  Quoting from that:

Napralert (NAtural PRoducts ALERT) is a relational database of world
literature on the chemical constituents and pharmacology of plant,
microbial and animal (primarily marine) extracts.

It's housed and maintained by the Program for Collaborative Research
in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, within the Department of Medicinal
Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, in the College of Pharmacy of the
University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood Street (M/C 877),
Chicago, IL 60612, U.S.A.
Phone (312)-996-2246, Fax (312)-996-7107.

And here is what it'll cost you:

You can access Napralert by paying bulk rate (subscribing) or by
paying per question.  Annual subscription fee for individual user
with no ties to government agencies, small or large businesses,
research institutes or libraries: USD 100, of which half gets you
manuals, a user ID/password, and limited disk storage space, and
the other half gets you answers (at USD 0.75 per reference obtained).

Per question rate: USD 25 + USD 0.75 per reference obtained.
Off-line (snailmail rate): USD 25 + USD 0.75 per reference obtained.

NAPRALERT is also available on-line through STN in the US, Europe
and Asia.

For more info and user ID application email quinn@pcog.pmmp.uic.edu
(Mary Lou Quinn).

==========
5.2 Medline - online commercial database
-----
Comment by Mark D. Gold (mgold@laraby.tiac.net):
"I find it (Medline) a very useful tool.  But it is important to
realize that there are several articles which warn about the "dangers"
of herbs (particularly in JAMA) which are little more than inaccurate
hatchet jobs."

-----
This entry is based on the Medline FAQ by Gregory W. Froehlich, M.D.,
edited by camilla@primenet.com.

> I've been hearing a lot about "med-line".  What exactly is it, what
> is it used for, and can you access it via internet?

I'll quote from the National Library of Medicine:

"Thousands of new books and articles in biomedicine are published
every month.  How can a health professional or investigator easily
locate literature relevant to a particular area of patient care or
research?

Since the early 1970's, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has
made searching the biomedical literature faster and easier by
providing online information retrieval on the MEDLARS, (MEDical
Literature Analysis and Retrieval System) family of databases.
MEDLINE - NLM's premier database - has over 7 million citations to
biomedical articles and is searched more than eighteen thousand times
a day.

The cheapest way to access Medline is to attend a school or
university with a medical library.  Many schools give free medline
access to students.  Some university medical libraries will provide
free Medline access to the public: this varies with the school and
the state in which it's located.  It's worth checking out.  A few
municipal public libraries also offer free access.

It's also possible to get a direct account and search Medline from
your home.  However, there is no free way to do this.

In order to make searching even easier and provide a user-friendly way
to use the MEDLARS system, NLM, in 1986, developed a software package
called Grateful Med.  The simplicity and efficiency of searching with
Grateful Med have made it immensely popular -more than 50,000 copies
of the software have been sold since its introduction." (You can also
access Medline through commercial services like PaperChase, etc - more
costly).

Step 1: Get a user ID/password.  You can call the National Technical
Information Service at 1-800-423-9255 for info, or write to them at:

              NTIS
              5285 Port Royal Road
              Springfield, VA 22161

Or, you can be a cyberstud and get the application form 'userid.txt'
by anonymous ftp from nlmpubs.nlm.nih.gov in the directory /online/
medlars.

Step 2: Decide whether to use a front end (Grateful Med) or to learn
how to communicate directly with MEDLINE (HINT: pick door #1).
Download it from the same server above (check through the /grateful
directory for the files you need) or order it from NTIS (see Step 1,
or get the order form 'gmorder.txt' in the directory /online/medlars).
It's USD 30 or so the latter way.

Step 3: If you decide against using Grateful Med, you can access
MEDLINE through programs like Telnet at medlars.nlm.nih.gov.  You'll
need an ID/password.  You can also access MEDLINE through commercial
services such as PaperChase (Telnet to pch.bih.harvard.edu, enter
pch, signup when it asks for password)

$$$: NTIS charges for access; I seem to pay about a dollar a search.
Hourly charges work out to about USD 20/hour, but some searches, where
abstracts are retrieved can be more expensive.  Commercial services
like PaperChase (available on CompuServe) are also more expensive.

==========
5.3 Good Herbprograms for the PC
-----
Go get these and choose for yourself. They're all on sunsite, too:
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
  herbal-medicine/programs/
and on the mirror in Japan:
ftp://sunsite.sut.ac.jp/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
  herbal-medicine/programs/

"Healing Powers of Herbs" by Klaus Hoferichter, found by ftp at
oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /SimTel/msdos/food:
891879 Mar 15 18:00 herbp21.zip
Graphical DOS interface - mouse essential.

"Herb Power v. 2.0", by Klaus Hoferichter, found by ftp at
oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /SimTel/msdos/food:
795135 Mar 10 18:19 hph2.zip.
Graphical DOS interface - mouse essential.

Demo of the "Herbal Browser", by Marvel C.  Stalcup, found at
aol and compuserve:
demoherb.exe (self-extracting file, size 248436).
DOS - interface, mouse recommended but not essential.
Really jiffy jumping function, easy to browse.

"Herbage for DOS v.1.0", by Tim Johnson, found by ftp at
oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in SimTel/msdos/biology:
205081 Feb 25 02:15 herbage1.zip.
DOS - interface, no mouse needed.
Nice 'export text' -function.

"Illustrated Medical Herbal Encyclopedia" - demo version, found by
ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /SimTel/msdos/food
226983 Apr 22 03:05 medherb1.zip
DOS - interface, no mouse needed.

-----
"IBIS" - "Interactive BodyMind Information System", by GAIA Multimedia.
Demoversion found at http://www.teleport.com:80/~ibis.
DOS-interface, mouse required.  Needs 24 MB hard disk space.
Cost (full version) USD 895.

==========
5.4 Good Herbprograms for the Macintosh
-----
"IBIS" - "Interactive BodyMind Information System", by GAIA Multimedia.
Demoversion found at http://www.teleport.com:80/~ibis.
Needs System 6.0.7 or later.  21 MB hard disk space needed for
installation; 2.5 MB RAM on System 6.0.7, 4 MB RAM on System 7.
Cost (full version) USD 895.

==========
5.5 Herbal CD-Rom
-----
"The Herbalist", ver.2.0, by David L.  Hoffmann, CD-Rom database, list
price USD 54.95 (USD 45 now?), just under 50 MB, DOS, Windows, Mac.
Available from Hopkins Technology, 421 Hazel Lane, Hopkins,
MN 55343-7116.  Phone 612-931-9376 or 800-397-9211.
(All gathered from the archives, I don't have this one)

More info found at
http://www.hoptechno.com/herbmm.htm.
-----
"Traditional Chinese Medicine & Pharmacology"
Hopkins Technology (as above). USD 29.95.

The insert reads "Complete with illustrations, photography, full text
search functionality".

==========
End of part 6 of 7
==========
