Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine

Originally, almost all medicine was herbal, and there are still strong traditions of herbal medicine amongst non-Western communities. This book begins within introduction to the medical use of plants, some examples of herbs for particular body systems and an overview of the various chemical classes of active ingredients. Then there is an important page on quality control of herbal products. This is followed by a history of herbal medicine from its origins to the end of the nineteenth century. This covers the shift from a magical or spiritual view of medicine to one based on the perceived effectiveness of products....