لا يزال هناك الكثير لنتعلمه عن قوة الشفاء من النباتات, ولكن ما نعرفه إلى الآن هو معجزة بالفعل تحتوى كل الأعشاب على آلاف المواد الكيميائية, وعندما تقوم باختيار دواء عشبي فإنك تحصل على خليط من المواد الكيميائية. أما عندما تتناول عقاراً صيدلياً يحتوي على مادة واحدة فعالة اصطناعية, فسوف تساعدك فقط إذا كانت لهذه المادة فاعلية مثبتة ويبين الكاتب عدة نصائح تساعدك على العثور على الأعشاب وكيفية تحضيرها وزراعتها, ستجد أيضاً نصائح وتحذيرات حول استخدامها. وكذلك هنالك قاعدة بيانات هائلة تحتوى على معلومات بشأن المواد الكيميائية المختلفة والمركبات التي توجد في النباتات. كما تم تجميع الكثير من المعرفة الشفائية في كتاب الصيدلية الخضراء, ويحكي المؤلف الحكايات من حياته الشخصية في دراسة الأعشاب الكتاب في جزئه الأول: دليل إلى الصيدلية الخضراء, أما الجزء الثاني : الأمراض والأعشاب المعاجة لها
Dr. James A. Duke, PhD, Ethnobotanist, PhD in Botany (UNC, Chapel Hill; Phi Beta Kappa; Distinguished Alumnus), served 3 years with Missouri Botanical Garden, 7 years with Battelle Memorial Institute in Panama, Colombia and Columbus Ohio, as an ecologist; and 27 years as economic botanist, with USDA in Beltsville, Md, On Sept. 30, 1995, he retired from the USDA. Before retiring, Dr. Duke brought his ethnobotanical and phytochemical database online at USDA (). It is now, in Duke’s retirement, one of the most frequently consulted areas of the USDA website. Duke serves as distinguished herbal lecturer with the Tai Sophia Healing Institute, Laurel MD. He has written more than 30 books on medicinal plants.
Ovu knjigu prevodili smo i pripremali tokom bombardovanja... I veoma sam ponosna na finalni proizvod jer sam se za svaku moguću biljku konsultovala sa stručnjakom iz našeg Instituta za bilje i u konsultaciji s njim iz knjige smo izbacili nekoliko biljaka koje su nam apsolutno nedostupne... tj. mogu se nabaviti samo u Americi ili Meksiku ili tako negde što je nama i dalje nedostupno... U ovu knjigu je uloženo mnogo krvavog rada i imala je nekoliko izdanja... Naročito mi je draga jer lično ne gajim interesovanje za lekovito bilje ili medicinu... pa je utoliko više truda i rada uloženo u ovaj prevod... Nas četiri prijateljice... :)
A great beginning reference for herbal and dietary solutions for common diseases. I use this often as a starting point for research. It is amazing how much diet can help in disease. Did you know that walnuts are a good dietary source of seratonin and can help curb appetite? Who knew? (Also, note that raising the levels of serotonin in the body is an accepted method in combatting depression.) Did you know that pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are high in the amino acid tryptophan, a raw material used in the production of serotonin? Again, who new?
I call this book my "Herb Bible" because I always start with the Green Pharmacy when looking for at-home remedies. This book is in no way disdainful of Western medicine, but gives a host of low-cost alternatives for treatments you may be able to employ at home. There are many reasons I love this book including the author's easy, down-to-earth writing style. The book is organized alphabetically by ailment, so you can easily look up "headache", "bunions", "infertility" or "cold and flu". You can also utilize the index to look up uses for a specific herb or remedy. Dr. Duke organizes the remedies for specific ailments based on their purported effectiveness. He also talks about the reasons why specific medicinal herbs and folk remedies may be effective. Essentially, this guide gives a lot of good information, with a healthy dose of common sense (please read the introduction before embarking on your herbal journey), so that folks can make an informed decision about using herbal remedies.
Duke's knowledge and expertise in the fields of research come across loud and clear without him having to pronounce it boldly. Reading the back of the book and seeing his credentials was almost as enjoyable as reading the book itself. Much of the text is taken over with research, combined with his own uses, things he's heard, seen, and believe.
I do find a fault. I have to credit Henrietta Kress for this, though, as she said it first and I realized I agreed with her but it had never clicked with me before. One of those things you can't put your finger on:
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""I have the 1997 edition of this. It's a book written by a researcher, not by a practitioner, and it shows in some of the herbal recommendations. Don't trust it, get one of the books written by a practitioner instead."" (End Quote)
You know, she's right in a way. I always found it strange that throughout the book he mainly suggests soups, pills bought, standardized pills, etc. He never gives many personal experiences with something other than a single remedy used as a food addition. This is not saying this book is not worth it - far from it - but it is bringing up the valid point.
Also, there is another thing that DOES bug me is the "make your own medicine" section. A few pages long, so not actually a section, but you get my drift. For tinctures he says to let it sit about a week and then strain. A week? Every other source states 2 weeks minimum. Nothing is mentioned on sun either or any heating.
Also, on salves he recommends not making your own but buying it from a store, saying that it's "messy stuff". Of course he does say that he doesn't have luck making salves, where they turn out too dry or runny, so this could be the reason he says this.
Beyond these small gripes though, this really is an excellent book. I always return to it when wondering on a condition. Sure it's not advanced herbalism in any shape or form, but it works and for good reason. He gives plenty of information and doesn't seem rushed like so many books out there do. He recommends more than just herbal remedies as well. Sometimes I don't agree with what he says, but for the majority of the time I do (and that's not the point with reviews anyway), but at least he always explains his reason. He doesn't just say: Don't take this or, This causes liver damage. He says WHY and I appreciate that.
I love this little reference book! It stays in a special place and is constantly being used by both myself and my husband. It is a must-have-handy type of book for everyone.
This is a book that gives you hope. You can start substituting drugs (medicines) with natural plant-based foods and regain your health. I'm so glad to have refound this book full of encylopedic wealth and will keep it on my kitchen bookshelf for future reference.
I love this book, been using it for a year to study herbs of the week and month and it is a great reference for my note taking and studying of each individual herb. This book outlines what herbs work best for certain ailments
"Scientific critics counter that 'old folk tales' are no match for Western-style scientific experimentation. But the basis of science is careful observation, and that's what traditional peoples have been doing since time immemorial-- observing and experimenting with the world around them." (p.427)
Really like some remedies especially about periods. I have excruciatingly painful periods and I'm looking forward to using Evening primrose plus I'll be growing my own!
3.5 has some good recipes. overall he is a big fan of about a dozen multipurpose herbs and recommends them a lot. its a good baseline for new herbalists
Hoje em dia o ser humano procura voltar um pouco atrás no que respeita aos produtos biológicos, fazendo o mesmo no que respeita à saúde, pois, cada vez mais, está-se a redescobrir o uso curativo de centenas de plantas, fruto também de uma apurada análise e investigação das mesmas. Plantas utilizadas durante centenas de anos que, face ao desenvolvimento da medicina, caíram no esquecimento ou então começaram a ser vista como mesinhas antiquadas quando, essas mesmas plantas, estão na origem da maioria dos medicamentos contemporâneos.
James A. Duke efectua um trabalho notável com esta obra que, desde já, aconselho vivamente a todos aqueles que se interessam pelo tema ou que queiram passar a ter.
Ora bem, este senhor passou três décadas, um pouco por todo o mundo, a descobrir, identificar, testar, avaliar, classificar e catalogar centenas de potenciais plantas medicinais. A partir daí, e depois de esquadrinhadas em laboratório, compilou tudo numa base de dados dando origem à presente obra e que muito me surpreendeu.
São centenas de plantas aqui referidas, o que curam, em que malfeitas podem ser utilizadas, como administra-las, as propriedades, dosagens e precauções.
Acreditem, é um manual soberbo, incrivelmente de fácil percepção e, principalmente, constatamos que a maioria das plantas são fáceis de encontrar.
After an introduction chapter on how to use herbs, James Duke has compiled an extensive alphabetical listing of ailments and recommendations for herbal treatments. He includes everything from 'Asthma' to 'Diabetes' to 'Warts' to 'Constipation ' ... it is very comprehensive. There is repetition (garlic is an effective remedy for a lot of things), but the way it is set up makes the repetition helpful. The same remedy may be listed in 'Virus' and 'Tonsilitis', for example. Rather than reading the book front to back, I read the introduction, the conclusion, and then skimmed through the specific ailments. This book makes an excellent reference book to keep on the shelf to refer to as needed.
The author explains clearly why these herbal remedies are so little used and known in the US. At the same time, I appreciate that he is not trying to fight against mainstream doctors. He recommends discussing any herbal treatments with your doctor.
I would recommend reading the end of the book first. He talks about his background and how he grew to love working with medicinal plants. It helps you realize that he really may be one of the foremost authorities in the world. The writing is only a little 'preachy', and he comes across as a nice, easygoing guy.
Interesting. I checked out all the herb books from the library to see how they related to each other. Some agree, some disagree. This one was organized by ailment so it was very redundant to read. However, if you were going to use it as a reference, it would be easy to find what you were looking for.
I am much more likely to trust an experienced real-life person than a book when it comes to healing yourself. Dosage is just as important with herbs as with "modern" medicine and it isn't something choose to play around with. I know enough about plants to treat them with the respect they deserve.
I love the Green Pharmacy books! I have three - just recently acquired The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods that I haven't read yet. I use this book and the Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook as fantastic guides! In this book, you can look up by symptoms or what you know is wrong (migraines, for example) and get herbal advice as to what to use and how to use it. The Herbal Handbook is the opposite - you can look things up by herb so you know what a particular herb (for example: rosemary) is good for. They are a very complimentary pair and something all medicinal herbal practitioners should have on their shelf, in my opinion.
This is a great go-to book for herbal ideas to help you in your healing...no matter what your issue may be. I was pleasantly surprised by the vast amount of ailments mentioned in the book and the many different herbs recommended to help those ailments. I like that the author is personable, talking about what herbs he'd recommend if his daughter suffered from a certian issue, etc.
I got this from the library, but it'd definitely be a nice one to have hanging around the house to check into his suggestions when different issues occurred.