The Doctor's Complete Guide to Healing Herbs
by David Kessler, Sheila Buff
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I used to be into "natural remedies," much to the concern of my family. Cinnamon for cold hands/feet, tea tree oils, lavender, etc.
Then I had an "herbalist" recommend mugwort tea for my cramping and discomfort during menstruation.
My mother asked a family member, an RN, about mugwort. Her response caused my family to talk to me seriously about this odd phase I was going through. Mugwort has so many dangerous properties that it should NOT be taken internally. Mom and I went to the local bookstore and picked up this book. While I was still 50/50 on "natural" remedies, I did realize that and M.D. might actually know more about medicine than an herbalist, who has no such extensive medical training.
Now, almost 15 years later, I thank the show more authors of this book; they created a reference that steadied me back onto the road of Science-Based-Medicine without making me feel embarrased and hostile.
The first half of the book is Ailments and Conditions; this section addresses, in alphabetical order, many of the health conditions that some people might conceivably turn to alternate medications to treat. There are good descriptions of each condition, along with the "healing herb" most commonly usedto treat such conditions.
The second half is the list of "healing herbs." Scientific names and alternate names are indicated, along with notes of efficacy, if any, or dangers, if any.
Now, of course, we have the internet to cross-check these ever-evolving lists, but to a college student, this book may well have saved my life in the days before the internet was so widely accessible and health claims of "herbalists" so easily authenticatable. show less
Then I had an "herbalist" recommend mugwort tea for my cramping and discomfort during menstruation.
My mother asked a family member, an RN, about mugwort. Her response caused my family to talk to me seriously about this odd phase I was going through. Mugwort has so many dangerous properties that it should NOT be taken internally. Mom and I went to the local bookstore and picked up this book. While I was still 50/50 on "natural" remedies, I did realize that and M.D. might actually know more about medicine than an herbalist, who has no such extensive medical training.
Now, almost 15 years later, I thank the show more authors of this book; they created a reference that steadied me back onto the road of Science-Based-Medicine without making me feel embarrased and hostile.
The first half of the book is Ailments and Conditions; this section addresses, in alphabetical order, many of the health conditions that some people might conceivably turn to alternate medications to treat. There are good descriptions of each condition, along with the "healing herb" most commonly usedto treat such conditions.
The second half is the list of "healing herbs." Scientific names and alternate names are indicated, along with notes of efficacy, if any, or dangers, if any.
Now, of course, we have the internet to cross-check these ever-evolving lists, but to a college student, this book may well have saved my life in the days before the internet was so widely accessible and health claims of "herbalists" so easily authenticatable. show less
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David A. Kessler, MD, served as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He is the author of A Question of Intent and The End of Overeating, a New York Times bestseller. He is a pediatrician and has been the dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San show more Francisco. Dr. Kessler is a graduate of Amherst College, the University of Chicago Law School, and Harvard Medical School. show less
37+ Works 574 Members
Sheila Buff is a freelance writer specializing in natural history, gardening, & the outdoors. She is the author of "The Great Tomato Book", "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Birdwatching", "The Birder's Sourcebook", "The Birdfeeder's Handbook", & many other titles. She lives & gardens on five acres in Milan, New York,
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