Herbs and Natural Supplements. An Evidence-based Guide

This book presents the evidence for a large number of herbs and dietary supplements. It aims to be a comprehensive and well-rounded assessment that addresses the practical needs of healthcare professionals and can be used by members of the public. It includes information up to December 2003 and some of the chapters are written from an Australian perspective. The book is organised in three main sections. The first section provides an introduction to CM as well as to herbal medicine and clinical nutrition. The second section, the main part of the book, comprises 100 monographs ranging from Andrographis paniculata, Calendula arvensis and Camellia sinensis to Urtica dioica, vitamin C and Salix alba. Each herbal monograph contains information on common names, chemical components, main actions, clinical uses, dose ranges and safety issues. For dietary supplements information on, for example, pharmacokinetics, food sources and deficiency signs are also included. In the third section a table that outlines the possible interactions is given and for each interaction a brief explanation and recommendation is provided.

The strength of this book is clearly its focus on herbal and non-herbal dietary supplements. The focus on oral complementary medicines ensures a level of comprehensiveness that makes it a valuable tool for practitioners. The only criticism is that, although it includes a general section on evidence-based medicine, it would have been useful to have a stronger section on the methods used to collect and synthesise the information for this book. Overall, this is a user-friendly book that I can recommend to anyone who is interested in herbal and non-herbal dietary supplements.