A Practical Guide to Licensing Herbal Medicinal Products. Thomas Brendler, L Denzil Phillips, and Stefan Spiess. London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press; 2009. Hardcover; 770 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-85369-784-8. $395.00
This book, supported by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), provides guidance on how to legally market herbal medicinal products in the United Kingdom. By 2011, every herbal product that is judged as medicinal by the MHRA will require a registration under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Product Directive (THMPD). Containing all legal guidelines and forms—as well as instructions on how to fill out all relevant applications, where to send them, and the costs involved—this resource can help manufacturers obtain that registration and follow necessary quality standards and other requirements.
Stockley’s Herbal Medicines Interactions: A Guide to the Interactions of Herbal Medicines, Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals with Conventional Medicines. Elizabeth Williamson, Samuel Driver, and Karen Baxter (eds). London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press; 2009. Hardcover; 423 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-85369-760-2. $89.95. Available in ABC's online store.
This reference provides over 150 monographs with data on the most commonly used herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and nutraceuticals. Each monograph contains information on synonyms and related species, constituents, uses and indications, pharmacokinetics, and interaction overviews. Detailed information on kinds of interactions is also provided, such as interactions that could occur with antidiabetic medications, cardiovascular drugs, foods, herbal medicines, vitamins, and more.
Integrative Oncology. Donald Abrams and Andrew Weil. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2009. Hardcover; 601 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-19-530944-7. $35.00. Available in ABC's online store.
Integrative Oncology is the first text in the Weil Integrative Medicine Library series, all of which will focus on various forms of integrative medicine. This emerging field treats the body, mind, and the spirit, making use of both conventional and alternative medicine. Andrew Weil, MD, series editor, is a well-known expert and leader in this overarching field. This book specifically provides information for both practitioners and consumers on integrative oncology—integrative medicine used in the treatment or prevention of cancer. Included are up-to-date and extensively referenced chapters on a wide spectrum of issues in a reader-friendly format featuring key points, sidebars, and tables.
Native American Medicinal Plants. Daniel E. Moerman. Portland, OR: Timber Press; 2009. Paperback; 799 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-88192-987-4. $39.95.
This abridged edition of the now-classic Native American Ethnobotany in a dictionary format, instead of an encyclopedic format, contains information on about 250,000 medicinal uses of 2,700 plant species commonly used in Native North American cultures. This book also features indexes organized by tribe, usage, and common name, which make the information easily accessible.
The Encyclopedia of Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Fragrance. Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas Debaggio. Portland, OR: Timber Press; 2009. Hardcover; 604 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-88192-994-2. $39.95.
Written by 2 herb experts and including more than 500 species of herbs, this compendium contains detailed profiles that can be used to grow and use many medicinal plants. Each entry typically contains the plant’s botanical name and family, growing information (height, hardiness, light requirements, water consumption, required soil type, and pH), its name in various languages, a history of the plant, its chemistry, and culinary and landscape uses.
Botanical Medicine: From Bench to Bedside. Raymond Cooper and Fredi Kronenberg (eds). New Rochelle, NY: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2009. Hardcover; 237 pages. ISBN–13: 978-1-934854-05-1. $99.00. Available in ABC's online store.
More than 20 scientific experts contributed to this book. It serves as a guide to anyone interested in botanical research, moving from the field to the phytochemistry laboratory to the development of a clinically useful product. Organized into 3 sections, it contains details on selection and quality of botanical products, preclinical and clinical approaches, and a practitioner’s view of the challenges faced by those interested in exploring botanical products.
Clinical Botanical Medicine, 2nd ed. Eric Yarnell, Kathy Abascal, and Robert Rountree. New Rochelle, NY: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2009. Hardcover; 438 pages. ISBN–13: 978-0-913113-46-2. $99.00.
This updated edition gives significantly expanded information on how herbs can be used effectively in common clinical conditions. It further focuses on “poorly explored aspects of botanical medicine,” such as beneficial cooperation among compounds within a plant (or plants), and how the plant used as a whole can influence the potential toxicity of some of its parts. Organized into 2 parts, this book includes information on botanicals to treat or prevent specific diseases or conditions, as well as broader issues in botanical medicine.