Fitoterapia

The product of fifteen years of collecting activity throughout China, this book offers the first comprehensive, botanically authoritative, and practical illustrated identification guide to Chinese medicinal plants and drugs and their substitutes. The herbal drugs included in the book are officially recognized in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, with an eye toward drugs that are common in international trade, as well as those recognized by Western medical associations. The book is laid out to allow quick and easy cross-referencing of official and substitute species and will be ideal for those without botanical information training. A joint project of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, it will be indispensable for anyone working with traditional or herbal remedies.

Un libro per i cultori della botanica e per gli appassionati della cucina naturale e delle tradizioni contadine

Medicinal plants have been used in the prevention, diagnosis, and elimination of diseases based on the practical experience of thousands of years. There is a pressing need to initiate and transform laboratory research into fruitful formulations leading to the development of newer products for the cure of diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and hepatitis, as well as coping with multi-drug resistance problems. This book presents recent developments in the research on medicinal plants for different diseases, formulation of products, and market strategy.

Healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, are often confronted with patients who use over-the-counter (OTC) herbal medicinal products and food supplements. While taking responsibility for one s own health and treatment options is encouraged, many patients use these products based on limited (and sometimes inaccurate) information from non-scientific sources, such as the popular press and internet. There is a clear need to offer balanced, well-informed advice to patients, yet a number of studies have shown that, generally, conventionally trained health practitioners consider their knowledge about herbal medicinal products and supplements to be weak. Phytopharmacy fills this knowledge gap, and is intended for use by the busy pharmacist, nurse, or doctor, as well as the expert patient and students of pharmacy and herbal medicine. It presents clear, practical and concise monographs on over a hundred popular herbal medicines and plant-based food supplements. Information provided in each monograph includes: Indications Summary and appraisal of clinical and pre-clinical evidence Potential interactions Contraindications Possible adverse effects An overview of the current regulatory framework is also outlined, notably the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive. This stipulates that only licensed products or registered traditional herbal medicinal products (THRs), which have assured quality and safety, can now legally be sold OTC. Monographs are included of most of the major herbal ingredients found in THRs, and also some plant-based food supplements, which while not strictly medicines, may also have the potential to exert a physiological effect.