Medical Botany, Second Edition provides, through examples, an understanding of the world's traditional pharmacopeias and how research is affording ways to authenticate their value for use in complementary and alternative medicines and as the basis for the development of new therapies and pharmaceutical agents. This fascinating approach illustrates how plants through the ages have affected human health. It combines scientific information in human physiology, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and ethnobotany, and intertwines these data with a variety of colorful stories and anecodtes -- from Socrates' fatal use of hemlock to the evolution of such pharmaceuticals as digitalis, taxol, and lovastatin and botanicals, including Echinacea, Ginkgo, St. John's wort, and ginseng.
Richly illustrated and expanded, this revised edition addresses the injurious, remedial, and psychoactive properties of thousands of plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Each chapter focuses on a body system and thoroughly discusses how pharmaceuticals, botanicals, and dietary supplements affect its function in both normal and disease states. Mindful that the ultimate goal of integrative medicine is to optimize the worth of all types of treatment approaches, this edition provides the practitioner, patient, and public at large with information regarding the current state of research and treatment practices in this expanding field.
Medical Botany, Second Edition is a valuable text for students of pharmacology, botany, medicine, and biology, and an indispensable tool for professionals in medicine, pharmacology, and botany, as well as an informative resource for patients and everyone interested in plants and their potential for human health.
