After five years of sales, ABC’s CD version of The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines will no longer be available for retail. The information, a compilation by the German government of more than 380 different herbs and herb combinations, may be found in its entirety on the ABC website, and is available for ABC members with Academic level memberships and above.

In 1998, ABC created the first comprehensive English translation of all German Commission E monographs and compiled them into one, fully cross-referenced volume. Along with this, a CD-ROM version allowed for fast electronic cross-referencing of the Commission E database. Though the CD will no longer be sold, the cross-referenced database is located at <www.HerbalGram.org> and allows searches for specific herbs and treatments by name, uses, contraindications, side effects, and more.

The ABC version of the Commission E monographs puts herbal remedies into two categories of approved and unapproved herbs. Approved herbs are indexed by known uses and indications, side effects, contraindications, and pharmacological actions. Unapproved herbs do not have listings for uses and indications; herbs are listed as unapproved because they either pose a possible health risk or because Commission E could not obtain adequate information to document efficacy. These unapproved herbs, some of which are used regularly for medicinal purposes in Western herbalism, can be found in the website database with information on their side effects and known pharmacological actions.

The printed 700+ page Commission E volume has become a standard text and one of the most widely cited references on herbal medicine. It is available for $89.95 on the ABC website <www.HerbalGram.org> or by calling ABC’s toll-free order line, 800/373-7105.