Western Herbal Medicine - Subject - Health

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Featured resources

Naturopathy, practice, effectiveness, economics & safety (2022) is a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) compiled by the World Naturopathic Federation providing an evidence-based summary of naturopathic practice and the safety, economics and effectiveness of naturopathic care. The scope of the HTA was informed by research conducted by the international naturopathic community over the last thirty years. Over 2000 peer-reviewed scientific articles of which more than 300 clinical studies involving over 100 different health populations are outlined in the HTA.

nPod (Naturopathic Product Online Database) is a searchable platform of professional prescribing information for Naturopathy, Chinese Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy and Nutrition. Designed for Australian and New Zealand practitioners, you can:

- search for a substance, product or illness
- compare up to 5 different products at once
- print directly from the prescribing list for your clients
- add and save your individual protocols for future use
- find a specific product, RRP and distributors
- filter to view specific specific product types (e.g. nutritional or herbal)

nPod also provides each graduate a year's free subscription as a graduation gift! You just need to email nPod at info@npod.com.au upon graduation.

This is just a selection of the thousands of ebooks available

Herbs and Natural Supplements (Vol. 1) by Lesley Braun; Marc Cohen Herbs and Natural Supplements, 4th Edition: An evidence-based guide is an authoritative, evidence-based reference. This two volume resource is essential to the safe and effective use of herbal, nutritional and food supplements. Volume 1: The first volume provides a foundation of knowledge in the clinical practice of complementary medicine. It emphasises safe practice with strategies to prevent adverse drug reactions, guidelines in assessing benefit, risk and harm and the evaluation of research. Topics covered: Complementary medicine modalities; Herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, aromatherapy, and food as medicine. Patient safety and wellness Considerations in Preoperative care and pregnancy Use in the treatment of cancer Herb/nutrient - drug interactions . Comprehensive review of herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, aromatherapy, and food as medicine . Patient safety and wellness . Considerations in preoperative care and pregnancy . Use in the treatment of cancer . Herb/nutrient - drug interactions. Provides up-to-date evidence on the latest research impacting on herbal and natural medicine by top leaders within the fields of Pharmacy, Herbal Medicine and Natural Medicine.
Publication Date: 2015
Herbs and Natural Supplements (vol. 2) by Lesley Braun; Marc Cohen Herbs and Natural Supplements, 4th Edition: An evidence-based guide is an authoritative, evidence-based reference. This two-volume resource is essential to the safe and effective use of herbal, nutritional and food supplements. The second volume provides current, evidence-based monographs on the 132 most popular herbs, nutrients and food supplements. Organised alphabetically, each monograph includes daily intake, main actions and indications, adverse reactions, contraindications and precautions, safety in pregnancy and more. Recommended by the Pharmacy Board of Australia as an evidence-based reference works (print) that pharmacists are meant to have access to when dispensing Contributed content from naturopaths, GPs, pharmacists, and herbalists Useful in a clinical setting as well as a reference book. It provides up-to-date evidence on the latest research impacting on herbal and natural medicine by top leaders in Australia within the fields of Pharmacy, Herbal Medicine and Natural Medicine
Publication Date: 2015
Materia Medica of Western Herbs by Carole Fisher This volume is based on the original Materia Medica of Western Herbs for the Southern Hemisphere by Carol Fisher and Gilian Painter and has been expanded and updated to include botanical, scientific, pharmacy and safety information. It is designed for worldwide use and contains detailed monographs of 180 medicinal herbs. There are appendices to help students understand pharmacological and medicinal actions, a glossary listing the known actions of common constituents, a table of interactions and a comprehensive therapeutic index. This textbook is valuable not only for students and practitioners of herbal medicine but is also of use to any health provider who wishes to know more about how and why herbs work and the safety issues related to them.
Publication Date: 2018
Handbook of Medicinal Herbs by James A. Duke A Practical, Authoritative Compendium This handbook catalogs 365 species of herbs having medicinal or folk medicinal uses, presenting whatever useful information has been documented on their toxicity and utility in humans and animals. Plants from all over the world - from common cultivars to rare species - are included in these 700 pages. The toxicity of these species varies, but the safety of each has been formally or informally questioned by the Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute, Department of Agriculture, Drug Enforcement Administra-tion, or Herb Trade Association. Easy-to-Locate Facts and Figures Designed to enable fast access to important information, this hand-book presents information in both catalog and tabular forms. In the catalog section, plants are presented alphabetically by scientific name. (The index permits you to locate an herb by its common name.) A detailed sketch of the chief identifying features accompa-nies most catalog entries. For each species the following information, as available, is presented and referenced: Family and colloquial names Chemical content Uses and applications - present and historical Processing, distribution, and economic potential Toxicological agents and degree of toxicity Poison symptoms in humans and animals Treatment and antidotes References to original literature Five Tables of Accessible Data Given a plant species, you can easily determine its toxins; or, given a toxin, you can discover which plants contain it. These and other data are presented in convenient tabular formats as appendixes to the handbook. Other information contained in these tables include toxicity ranking and other toxicity data (as applicable), such as mode of contact, organs affected, and lethal dose; and proximate analyses of selected foods. These tables are titled: Medicinal Herbs: Toxicity Rank
Publication Date: 2017
Principles and Practice of Botanicals As an Integrative Therapy by Anne Hume (Editor); Katherine Kelly Orr (Editor) The purpose of this book is to focus on major considerations in the clinical use of botanicals as an integrated therapy in current health care. The book uses an organ system approach to presenting clinical evidence on the use of botanicals for common conditions.
Publication Date: 2019
Medicinal Herbs in Primary Care by Jean M. Bokelmann Written specifically for the conventional medical healthcare provider, Medicinal Herbs in Primary Care forms an integral part of the primary care tool belt. Provides quick, authoritative guidance for the busy practitioner whose patient is requesting guidance on medicinal herbs. The disease tables are supported by herbal monographs that provide expanded details of the available preclinical and clinical evidence laid out in a system-based sequence.
Publication Date: 2021
Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy by Kerry Bone; Simon Mills The authoritative and comprehensive modern textbook on western herbal medicine - now in its second edition This long-awaited second edition of Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy covers all major aspects of herbal medicine from fundamental concepts, traditional use and scientific research through to safety, effective dosage and clinical applications. Written by herbal practitioners with active experience in clinical practice, education, manufacturing and research, the textbook is both practical and evidence based. The focus, always, is on the importance of tailoring the treatment to the individual case. New insights are given into the herbal management of approxiately 100 modern ailments, including some of the most challenging medical conditions, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and other complex autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, and there is vibrant discussion around the contribution of phytotherapy in general to modern health issues, including health ageing. Fully referenced throughout, with more than 10, 000 citations, the book is a core resource for students and practitioners of phytotherapy and naturopathy and will be of value to all healthcare professionals - pharmacists, doctors, nurses - with an interest in herbal therapeutics. 50 evidence-based monographs, including 7 new herbs Rational guidance to phytotherapeutic strategies in the consulting room New appendices provide useful information on topics such as herbal actions, dosage in children and reading and interpreting herbal clinical trials Comprehensive revision of vital safety data, including an extensive herb-drug interaction chart.
Publication Date: 2012
Recent Developments in Phytomedicine Technology by Luis Alexandre Pedro de Freitas (Editor); Cristiane Cardoso Correia Teixeira (Editor); Cristina Mara Zamarioli Phytomedicines have been playing an important role since the beginning of civilisation, curing many diseases and alleviating different symptoms for the wellbeing of humans and animals. The millenary history of medicinal plant use and its derivatives give credibility to the development of new and advanced pharmaceutical forms of phytomedicines, which may play an important role in social medicine for developing countries. A renewed interest for herbal medicines and phytomedicine has been observed in recent years. However, adulteration and misidentification of crude drugs still exist. Thus, the development of standardisation and quality control of herbal medicines needs to be prioritised at the earliest stage. Furthermore, the increasing demand for natural food antioxidants has fostered worldwide research for extracting biologically active substances from a variety of raw vegetal materials. However, the modern use of plant-derived medicines must be based on reliable and reproductive processes as well as manufacturing techniques to preserve chemical composition and therapeutic effectiveness of the plant extract. This can be achieved only through the knowledge and scientific approach to all steps involved in phytomedicine production, such as the pharmacognostic evaluation, extraction process, drying of the extracts and pharmacotechnical preparation of the final pharmaceutical form. This book compiles recent advances in the pharmaceutical industrial process and phytomedicine carries development. It is suitable for different levels of undergraduate study and/or the facilitation of pharmaceutical industrial processes.
Publication Date: 2017
Clinical Naturopathic Medicine by Leah Hechtman
Publication Date: 2018
Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs by Kerry Bone This clinical guide and practical reference is ideal for those who use and combine liquid herbal remedies for the individual needs of the patient. With three introductory chapters, 125 monographs, and various glossaries and appendices, it covers the fundamental concepts of using liquid herbals, including how the remedies are made, quality issues, and dosage guidelines.
Publication Date: 2003
Hedgerow Medicine : Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies by Julie Bruton-Seal, Matthew Seal Britain's hedgerows abound with forgotten remedies for countless health problems. Book contains instructions about which plants to harvest, when, and over 120 recipes showing how to make them into teas, vinegars, oils, creams, pillows, poultices or alcohol-based tinctures. The authors explain which ailments can be treated, and what benefits can be expected. As well as being packed with practical information on using 50 native plants, Hedgerow Medicine also gives a fascinating insight into the literary, historic and worldwide application of these herbal remedies.
Publication Date: 2008
Culpeper's Medicine by Graeme Tobyn Drawing on the writings of Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th-century herbalist, apothecary and astrologer, this updated, accessible introduction celebrates the holistic medical traditions of the West, and places Culpeper in his appropriate context as one of the forebears of modern holistic medicine and a prophet of the NHS.
Publication Date: 2013
Clinical Naturopathy by Jerome Sarris; Jon Wardle
Publication Date: 2019
Herbs Plain and Simple by Marlene Houghton Over 100 Recipes for Health and Healing There have been many books written on herbal medicine. This book differs from most because it is based on the empowerment model, which aims to help people take responsibility for their own health. Houghton helps readers tackle everyday ailments and takes the guesswork out of using herbs to keep them feeling well. Herbal medicine is useful for a range of common complaints, and gentle and effective herbs can offer benefit where conventional medicine sometimes fails. Included is this concrete and practical primer are all the essentials you need to know about healing herbs and their properties. Among the topics covered are: A brief history of herbalism An overview of how herbs heal An herb glossary that includes how to use herbs and the benefits of each The body's systems and the herbs that make them work better An herb dictionary In a world that is becoming more and more illness and disease focused, it is clearly important for individuals to learn about natural therapies and take their health into their own hands. By educating yourself in the use of traditional herbalism, you can attain a high level of wellbeing, and you will only need to consult a conventional doctor when you have a problem that only a medically qualified professional can handle.
Publication Date: 2017

Herbal Monographs

American Herbal Pharmacopoeia

WHO Monographs

MedlinePlus Herbs and Supplement

European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) monographs:

ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection I by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection I includes recent monographs on black cohosh, bearberry leaf, bogbean leaf, feverfew, goldenseal, java tea, lady's mantle, melissa leaf, tormentil, and white horehound. Each monograph includes extensive summaries of pharmacological, clinical and toxicological data, and copious references to scientific literature.
Publication Date: 2015
ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection II by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection II includes recent monographs on Barbados and Cape aloes, comfrey root, elder flower, witch hazel bark, leaf and water, myrrh, ribwort plantain and wild thyme.
Publication Date: 2015
ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection III by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection III includes recent monographs on Pelargonium root, Aniseed, Bilberry fruit, Mullein Flower, Cola, Clove oil, Gentian Root, Sage leaf Trilobed, Centaury and Cascara.
Publication Date: 2016

American Botanical Council (ABC) monographs:
(Contact the Library for the password)

Industry Organisations Australia

Industry Organisations International

Materia Medica of Western Herbs by Carole Fisher This volume is based on the original Materia Medica of Western Herbs for the Southern Hemisphere by Carol Fisher and Gilian Painter and has been expanded and updated to include botanical, scientific, pharmacy and safety information. It is designed for worldwide use and contains detailed monographs of 180 medicinal herbs. There are appendices to help students understand pharmacological and medicinal actions, a glossary listing the known actions of common constituents, a table of interactions and a comprehensive therapeutic index. This textbook is valuable not only for students and practitioners of herbal medicine but is also of use to any health provider who wishes to know more about how and why herbs work and the safety issues related to them.
Publication Date: 2018
Medicinal Herbs in Primary Care by Jean M. Bokelmann Note: Part 3 contains 55 herbal monographs organised according to general overview, preclinical research, human research, active constituents, commonly used preparations and dosage, safety and precaution, and references.
Publication Date: 2021
Herbal Therapy for Women by Elisabeth Brooke Chapter 7. The herbal contains herbal monographs with actions listed for each herb restricted to those pertinent to gynecology or conditions affecting the reproductive system.
Publication Date: 2018
Handbook of Medicinal Herbs by James A. Duke Includes 365 species of herbs having medicinal or folk medicinal uses, presenting whatever useful information has been documented on their toxicity and utility in humans and animals. Plants are presented alphabetically by scientific name, the index allows you to locate herbs by common names. The following information for each herb is provided: Family and colloquial names, Chemical content, Uses and applications - present and historical, Processing, distribution, and economic potential, Toxicological agents and degree of toxicity, Poison symptoms in humans and animals Treatment and antidotes.
Publication Date: 2018
ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection I by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection I includes recent monographs on black cohosh, bearberry leaf, bogbean leaf, feverfew, goldenseal, java tea, lady's mantle, melissa leaf, tormentil, and white horehound. Each monograph includes extensive summaries of pharmacological, clinical and toxicological data, and copious references to scientific literature.
Publication Date: 2015
ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection II by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection II includes recent monographs on Barbados and Cape aloes, comfrey root, elder flower, witch hazel bark, leaf and water, myrrh, ribwort plantain and wild thyme.
Publication Date: 2015
ESCOP Herbal Monograph Collection III by ESCOP Scientific Committee Collection III includes recent monographs on Pelargonium root, Aniseed, Bilberry fruit, Mullein Flower, Cola, Clove oil, Gentian Root, Sage leaf Trilobed, Centaury and Cascara.
Publication Date: 2016
Practical Herbs 2 by Henriette Kress Includes comprehensive instructions for making herbal honeys, poultices, and green powders. It is lavishly illustrated with beautiful color photographs that demonstrate clearly the methods and skills used.
Publication Date: 2018
The Complete Herbal Tutor by Anne McIntyre P93-276 The Materia medica. Contains over 150 rigorously researched and illustrated herbs, with clear explanations of their properties, active ingredients, and the latest scientific developments on their uses. There is also a clear explanation of how herbs can be used to treat each of the body's systems, with advice on using remedies for healing a range of specific conditions.
Publication Date: 2019
Ethnomedicinal Plants with Therapeutic Properties by V. R. Mohan (Editor); A. Doss (Editor); P. S. Tresina (Editor) Provides detailed information on locally important medicinal plants, discusses the pharmacological properties of selected medicinal plants, and looks at the phytodrug aspects of selected plants. Covers ethnomedicine, pharmacology, and pharmacognosy of selected plants.
Publication Date: 2019
Medicinal Plants of the World by Ben-Erik van Wyk; Michael Wink Provides a bird's eye view of more than 350 of the best known medicinal plants of the world and their uses, in a compact, colourful and scientifically accurate reference text. Provides quick answers the questions: Where does this plant originate? What does it look like? In which culture is it traditionally used? What is it used for? Which chemical compounds does it contain? How safe is it? What is known about its pharmacological activity? What evidence is there that it is effective?
Publication Date: 2017
The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody Includes more than 120 medicinal herbs with important therapeutic properties and a section on their historical uses. All the parts of the plants that can be used medicinally are shown, from fresh flower petals or leaves to the root, bark, and juice. Each entry details the plant's chemical constituents, its actions, and its therapeutic applications--from exotic ma huang, used in China to treat asthma for 5,000 years, to humble cabbage, which has been effective against stomach ulcers in clinical tests. A special how-to section explains the preparation of herbal remedies.
Publication Date: 2017
Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs by Kerry Bone This clinical guide and practical reference is ideal for those who use and combine liquid herbal remedies for the individual needs of the patient. With three introductory chapters, 125 monographs, and various glossaries and appendices, it covers the fundamental concepts of using liquid herbals, including how the remedies are made, quality issues, and dosage guidelines.
Publication Date: 2003
The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs by Mark Blumenthal (Editor); Joseph Blumenthal; Bernd Wollschlaeger Contains comprehensive, scientifically based information on 29 herbs and 13 proprietary herbal products. Each herb analysis includes an extensively referenced therapeutic Monograph, a 2-page Clinical Overview for quick reference, and a 1-page Patient Information Sheet for the health professional to copy and give to patients. Pharmacological activity, herb-drug interactions, adverse effects, preparations, dosage, name brands, regulations, and detailed tables of clinical studies, are also included.
Publication Date: 2003
WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants by World Health Organization Staff Provides 30 monographs covering the quality control and traditional and clinical uses of selected medicinal plants The monographs are intended to promote international harmonization in the quality control and use of herbal medicines. Plants covered Radix Althaeae. Herba Andrographidis. Radix Angelicae Sinensis. Flos Calendulae. Flos Caryophylli. Rhizoma Cimicifugae. Folium cum Flore Crataegi. Radix Eleutherococci. Aetheroleum Eucalypti. Folium Eucalypti. Cortex Frangulae. Folium et Cortex Hamamelidis. Semen Hippocastani. Herba Hyperici. Aetheroleum Melaleucae. Folium Melissae. Aetheroleum Menthae Piperitae. Folium Menthae Piperitae. Folium Ocimi sancti. Oleum Oenotherae Biennis. Rhizoma Piperis Methystici. Cortex Pruni Africaniae. Cortex Rhamni Purshianiae. Flos Sambuci. Radix senegae. Fructus serenoae Repentis. Fructus silybi Mariae. Herba Tanaceti Parthenii. Radix Urticae. Folium Uvae Ursi.
Publication Date: 2002

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Herbs at a Glance

Herbs at a Glance is a series of brief fact sheets that provides basic information about specific herbs or botanicals—common names, what the science says, potential side effects and cautions, and resources for more information.

Some traditional sources

Grieve, M. A modern herbal, 1931
A Modern Herbal, first published in 1931, by Mrs. M. Grieve, contains Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore.
American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy
By Finley Ellingwood, M.D. 1919
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Consisting of a comprehensive description of nearly all herbs with medicinal properties and directions for compounding the medicines. (1880)
Culpeper's English Physician and Complete Herbal
To which are now first added uponwards of one hundred additional herbs with a display of their medicinal and occult properties.
King's American Dispensatory
Felter, H. W., & Lloyd, J. U. (1898). King’s American dispensatory. Ohio Valley Co.
The Complete Herbalist, or, The people their own physicians, by the use of natures remedies
Brown, O.P., 1870 Jersey City, N.J. Pub. by the author

Western Herbal Medicine Databases

Featured Database

Natural Medicines Database - evidence-based information about complementary and alternative medicine. Professional Herbal Monographs include effectiveness for conditions, drug interactions, mechanism of action and more. Extensive references with links to original research provided.

Course Suggested Reading Lists

Bachelor of Health Science (Western Herbal Medicine) Suggested reading for Year 1 to Year 3

Subject - Health

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