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Summary: 'Must-know' information you won't find anywhere else...
Review: * All 380 Commission E Monographs - based on clinical trials, field studies, case collections, scientfic literature, unpublished proprietary data, and other carefully reviewed information* Covers both approved and unapproved herbs...componenent characteristics...herbal combinations * Monographs specify composition...uses...contraindications...side effects...interactions...dosages...administration...pharmacological actions...warnings and precautions...and more * Approved and unapproved substances in separate, clearly delineated sections * Extensive 70-page Introduction - offers background information on Commission E evaluation criteria and the US regulatory and market environments * Therapetic Indexes - find herbs by uses and indications...side effects...actions...interactions with conventional drugs...duration of administration * Taxonomic Cross-Reference - find herbs by English common name...Latin binomial...plant family...pharmacopeial name...German name * Excerpts from European regulatory literature * Chemical Glossary and Index * Instant-access General Index
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Summary: Huge Disappointment!
Review: I had hoped this book could be my benchmark for herbal information. What I found was a book that was hard to use with little useful information. ... Otherwise, Facts and Comparisions' Review of Natural Products is a better choice.
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Summary: Huge Disappointment!
Review: I had hoped this book could be my benchmark for herbal information. What I found was a book that was hard to use with little useful information. ... Otherwise, Facts and Comparisions' Review of Natural Products is a better choice.
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Summary: The Most Solid and Dependable Work on the Market
Review: I have worked with herbs for many decades and have shelves and shelves full of works on Herbs and Healing. The German Commission E Monographs is still an often used Reference that in my oppinion belongs on everyone's shelf who works with Herbs. True, it does not cover all that the herbs are capable of and due to lack of proof, many wonderful herbs are not approved, BUT, and this is most important, whatever you find in this book is scientifically proven and you can believe it. I VERY strongly recomend this book, and the CD as well. Whenever you explore a new herb, or need to know facts, check it out in the Commission E Monographs. Then you have a very good outline from where you can start to work with, and together with other herbals get to know and experiment to arrive at your own conclusion. And that is not to mention the inclusion of interaction with other drugs, side effects, mode of administration, active composition for each monograph and different chapters that cover all that is important. A MUST for every practitioner and professional. A MUST for Everyone involved in healing, period. If you can only buy one book on herbs, I would recomend this one. Herbs are gentle and effective healers as a rule. That does not mean that when handeled and prescribed wrong they can't be fatal and dangerous as well. Due to a long time of suppression, there's much information that is doubtful at best, plain wrong and harmful at worst. So even if it's not always approving old favorites, and not mentioning all properties of all herbs, it is an amazing work. Non Nonsense and you can count on everything it says to be true. Five Stars? No way, but that's the maximum available. I would give it many more if I could. But YOU be the judge. Check it out for yourself in a store if in doubt. But don't let this work pass you without giving it a chance. It is truly a treassure.
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Summary: Wow! A Terrific Reference based on years of research
Review: I love this book. I have yet to come across such a comprehensive manual that covers all of what we know about herbs to date. The German Commission E has been the leading group to study and report the beneficial effects and bad side effects, in some cases, of herbs since the 70's. With the explosion of alternative medicine in America, and with everybody and their brother claiming to be a nutritionist or herbalist (whatever that means) and understand herbs, we need a manual like this that tells the truth. This book also standardizes what the appropriate dosages of certain herbs are to help with certain ailments. I don't know about you, but I get a different dosage recommendation on every bottle and from every so called herbalist I meet. This is because the FDA does not require studies to be done on herbs and supplements in the US. Thus, we can only turn to what Germany has been doing for over 20 years to study these wonderful plants, because Germany does require that their use, dosage information and side effects be studied before they can be given to the public. Just because someone claims wonderful benefits from an herb or that it has been used for years does not mean there are no side effects. Marijuana and cocaine are natural and have been used for years too - I think the side effects have been well demonstrated. It is nice to have a reference that puts my mind to ease about whether what I'm putting in my body will help or harm me.
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Summary: modern science tries (& fails) to understand herbs
Review: If you want to know how German doctors use herbs as alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs, this is the book for you. If you are an herbalist, or just want to understand the wonders of medicinal plants, don't bother with this book. For example, yarrow, known to be a favorite of herbalists the world over, is listed with "not recommended" due to lack of research, even though it has been used for over 3000 years in multiple cultures, and has over a dozen medicinal therapeutic actions. Save your money.
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Summary: Table of Contents
Review: Part One - Introduction Part Two - Monographs - 1). Complete List of Approved Herbs by Approval Status; 2). Approved Herbs; 3). Approved Component Characteristics; 4). Approved Fixed Combinations; 5). Unapproved Herbs; 6). Unapproved Component Characteristics; 7). Unapproved Fixed Combinations Part Three - Therapeutic Indices - 8). Uses and Indications of Approved Herbs; 9). Contraindications of Approved Herbs; 10). Side Effects of Approved Herbs; 11). Side Effects of Unapproved Herbs; 12). Pharmacological Actions of Approved Herbs; 13). Pharmacological Actions of Unapproved Herbs 14). Interactions of Herbs with Conventional Drugs; 15). Duration of Administration for Approved Herbs Part Four - Chemical and Taxonomic Indices - 16). Chemical Glossary and Index; 17). Taxonomic Cross-Reference Part Five - European Regulatory Literature - 18). Excerpts from the German Pharmacopoeia; 19). Excerpts from the European Pharmacopoeia; 20). European Economic Community Standards for Quality of Herbal Remedies Part Six - Appendix - Abbreviations and Symbols...Weights and Measures...German Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) Number and Publication...List of European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) Monographs...List of World Health Organization (WHO) Monographs General References...General Glossary... General Index...Addendum - Contraindications of Unapproved Herbs
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Summary: WHERE ARE THE REFERENCES?
Review: The monographs lack any sort of scientific references. A true reference manual should list references so the reader can verify the conclusions made.
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Summary: Five stars for breadth; four stars for depth
Review: This English translation of the German Commission E monographs belongs in every hospital drug information center. Its high price probably prohibits many people from buying it for their personal libraries. The monographs are relatively short; each includes a section of composition of the drug, use, contraindications, side effects, interactions with other drugs, dosage, mode of administration, duration of action, and actions. Depending on the drug, some monographs include information on pharmacological properties, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, use in pregnancy/lactation, and (I like this as a special section!) "effects on operators of vehicles and machinery". In addition, products which are NOT recommended for use have a final section entitled "Evaluation", which explains the reasoning. There are many charts and tables laying out uses/approved indications, taxonomic references, side effects, etc etc etc. This is not exactly your light bedtime reading, but it's a great reference.
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Summary: Important work if one understands its place
Review: This is an important work, helping to document the validity of herbal medicine. However, it is not an all-encompassing work and obviously isn't referenced. Nevertheless, the German Commission E's method of publishing monographs based on the information gathered from companies, researchers, and practitioners (but apparently kept confidential) serves a useful purpose. It is always helpful to consult this text to get some solid conformation for common traditional uses. Every practitioner and researcher should have this book, though it certainly cannot be used in a vacuum.
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