The Healing Power of Celtic Plants. Angela Paine. Ropley, Winchester, UK: O Books; 2006. 285 pages, softcover, b&w illustrations. $29.95. ISBN 1-90504762-2.
This book starts with an intriguing history of Celtic herbal medicine and medicinal plants, with multiple botanical descriptions, growing conditions, chemistry, and their practical uses. Discusses side-effects, toxicity, contraindications, and scientific evidence supporting their activity.
The Organ Pipe Cactus. David Yetman. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press; 2006. 70 pages, softcover, full-color photographs. $9.95. ISBN 0-8165-25412.
In this beautifully illustrated, largeformat book, the author provides an indepth and comprehensive look at the organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi, Cactaceae). Chapters explore the plant’s ethnobotanical uses, habitat, distribution, and special conditions required for its germination, establishment, growth, and survival.
Beating the Flu: The Natural Prescription for Surviving Pandemic Influenza and Bird Flu. J.E. Williams. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing Company; 2006. 193 pages, softcover, tables. $15.95. ISBN 1-57174-507-6.
Explains how to avoid the flu through a combination of good hygiene and super foods that offer quick boosts that the immune system needs to ward off the flu virus. It also offers a “natural medicine cabinet” of vitamins, herbs and minerals that reportedly work best against specific types of flu, and provides clinical evidence to support the use of the remedies.
Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America.
Constantino Manuel Torres and David B. Repke. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Herbal Press; 2006. 256 pages, hardcover, tables, b&w illustrations and photographs. $59.95. ISBN 0-7890-2641-4.This thorough book examines the ritual and cultural use of Anadenanthera from prehistory to the present, along with its botany, chemistry, pharmacology, anthropology, and archeology. Formal and iconographic studies of the artistic expressions in related ritual paraphernalia are presented in detail. The text is richly illustrated and reinforced with an extensive bibliography, clear displays of chemical structures, and detailed tables.
Healthy Herbs: Your Everyday Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Their Use. Linda Woolven and Ted Snider. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited; 2006. 245 pages, softcover, references, index. $17.95. ISBN 1-55041-329-5.
Covers over 100 herbs and discusses what each herb does, how herbs work for specific medical conditions, and the proper dosages, as well as information on safety and drug interactions. Contains an index cross-referencing medicinal herbs with common health issues.
Thieme Almanac 2007: Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Michael McCarthy and Stephen Birch (Editors-in-chief). Stuttgart, Germany: Georg Thieme Verlag; 2007. 366 pages, softcover, color photographs and illustrations, references. $59.95. ISBN 978-1-58890-425-6.
This book is a concise summation of the state of the study, teaching, practice, and development of acupuncture and Chinese medicine around the world. It provides information on many aspects of related arts and sciences as well as clinical articles, historical tidbits, research findings, an international survey of educational programs, listings of societies and organizations, and the latest laws and regulations related to the field.
Integrating Therapeutic and Complementary Nutrition. Mary J. Marian, Pamela Williams-Mullen, and Jennifer Muir Bowers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2007. 634 pages, hardcover, tables. $80.96. ISBN 9-780849-316128.
Provides detailed information for each organ system, comparing both conventional and alternative therapies. Includes case studies, research data, and expert opinions, giving one of the most complete accounts of the field to date. Also offers specific information regarding supplements, dosage, and manufacturer quality standards.
Textbook of Integrative Mental Health Care. James Lake, MD. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2007. 374 pages, hardcover, tables. $129.95. ISBN 3-13-136671-0.
Presents an integrative approach to mental health care that combines biomedical and nonconventional assessment and treatment techniques. Covers the conceptual foundations of integrative mental health care, and provides a comprehensive review of the evidence of nonconventional assessment and treatment approaches. Clearly presented algorithms and evidence tables provide step-by-step guidance for all aspects of assessment and treatment planning.