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Rating: 
Summary: Will this book "disease-proof" your body?
Review: Although the book title leads us to believe that Dr. Duke will focus on 13 herbs, he includes about three times that many in his book and discusses them in detail. He tells what the herbs are, how they should be taken and in what quantities, and what possible drawbacks there are.
This sounds like a very interesting book, but I question the validity of some of the author's claims. First, he emphasizes quantity. All herbs he suggests should be taken "as much as you can stand", and "lots of it" (his favorite words). Second, he believes that (low-cost) herbal teas are inferior to (expensive) herbal pills. Third, he uses the same language as the pharmaceutical industry. While pharma-companies, for example, advertise that you need not worry about heartburn from hot Mexican meals as long as you take their pills that prevent it, Dr. Duke says that you can go on an alcohol binge and not worry about a gout attack as long as you take celery seeds. Not a very responsible advice. Fourth, Dr. Duke tells us throughout the book which herbs he himself takes and in what quantities. Considering the amounts he takes, I wonder if there is any room left in his stomach for actual food. Fifth, the book's title makes you think that Dr. Duke can disease-proof your body, but Dr. Duke admits that he suffers from quite a number of common ailments. So, obviously, the title is inflated. And so may be some of his claims inside the book.
Some of his information is quite useful, especially when he makes cross-comparisons with other edible/medicinal plants, for example horse chestnut, buckwheat, and gingko and tells us how they could help reduce or prevent spider and varicose veins. I was fascinated though, that his own wife does not seem to trust his herbal knowledge and prefers to look for help elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Energy Boost
Review: I've been taking some of the herbs that Dr. Duke mentioned in his book but there were some that I didn't know about. Since I've started taking them in less than two weeks I've noticed a definate increase in my energy level and just a sense of balance and well being. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: This is the first book I've read concerning herbs and I was impressed by James Duke's knowledge. THe book is very readable and in-depth. The first two chapters do a nice job of summarizing the book so if you're in a hurry you can just read them. Two concerns i had: 1) Duke occasionally would vacillate between recommending taking a herb in its natural form versus taking a standardized extract. Sometimes he seemed in favor of either but occasionally would first favor one but then the other. 2) W.r.t kava-kava in particular Duke stated there was not any need to be concerned about becoming addictive to it. Yet he stated that one should not take it for more than a few (i think it was 3-6 months) months consecutively. If my memory is correct (help gingko help!) he also stated that Germany's Commission E suggested a 6 month limit on taking it. But he gave no reason why one should limit the length of time one takes this herb; in other instances he would give a reason why this should be done (e.g. regarding echinacea he suggests limiting it to when you are about to get a cold or perhaps just to the cold/flu season; otherwise, with longer use, your body will not continue to respond to its effect). I was left wondering if he didn't give a reason because he doesn't really believe one needs to limit the use of kava kava over time. Perhaps he put it in the book out of litigation concerns. But i really don't know.Anyhow though - i was quite impressed by the book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: This is the first book I've read concerning herbs and I was impressed by James Duke's knowledge. THe book is very readable and in-depth. The first two chapters do a nice job of summarizing the book so if you're in a hurry you can just read them. Two concerns i had: 1) Duke occasionally would vacillate between recommending taking a herb in its natural form versus taking a standardized extract. Sometimes he seemed in favor of either but occasionally would first favor one but then the other. 2) W.r.t kava-kava in particular Duke stated there was not any need to be concerned about becoming addictive to it. Yet he stated that one should not take it for more than a few (i think it was 3-6 months) months consecutively. If my memory is correct (help gingko help!) he also stated that Germany's Commission E suggested a 6 month limit on taking it. But he gave no reason why one should limit the length of time one takes this herb; in other instances he would give a reason why this should be done (e.g. regarding echinacea he suggests limiting it to when you are about to get a cold or perhaps just to the cold/flu season; otherwise, with longer use, your body will not continue to respond to its effect). I was left wondering if he didn't give a reason because he doesn't really believe one needs to limit the use of kava kava over time. Perhaps he put it in the book out of litigation concerns. But i really don't know. Anyhow though - i was quite impressed by the book.
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