The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), a nonprofit, public foundation, was established in 1978 to advance the sciences of nutrition, toxicology, and food safety. ILSI promotes the resolution of health and safety issues in these areas by sponsoring research, conferences, publications, and educational programs. Through ILSI's programs, scientists from government, academia, and industry unite their efforts to resolve issues of critical importance to the public. As part of its commitment to understanding and resolving health and safety issues, ILSI is pleased to sponsor this series of monographs that consolidates new scientific knowledge, defines research needs, and provides a background for the effective application of scientific advances in toxicology and food safety. Alex Malaspina President International Life Sciences Institute Contents Series Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . xiii . . . . . . . . . . . . . Part I. Integrative Approach to Assessing Human Health Risk: Two Contemporary Problems Chapter 1. Integrating Diverse Data Sets to Assess the Risks of Airborne Pollutants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 R.o. McClellan, R.G. Cuddihy, w.e. Griffith, and J. L. Mauderly Chapter 2. Risk Assessment for Radon Inhalation Based on Animal Exposure Data and Human Epidemiology . . . . . . . 23 . F. Steinhausler Part II. Types of Evidence: General Strengths and Weaknesses Section 1. Epidemiological Chapter 3. Inhalation Hazards: The Interpretation of Epidemiologic Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . J.e. Bailar Chapter 4. Problems in Interpreting Epidemiological Data 49 P.N. Lee Section 2. Animal Chapter 5. Rodent Carcinogenicity Studies: Their Value and Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 . . . . . . . . . .

To comment at length on the importance of the benzodiazepines seems superfluous within the scope of this preface. No other class of active substances has experienced an even approximately compa rable advance in the past two decades. It is therefore not surprising that the formerly dominant barbiturates and bromocarbamides have had to give way in many fields to the benzodiazepines, which now rank first (Proudfoot and Park 1828]). Closely linked with the great therapeutic importance of the benzodia zepines are analytical problems. Detection and the determination of blood levels can be necessary under therapeutic aspects, for instance in working out optimally effective levels in the treatment of epileptic conditions ("drug monitoring"), but also in connection with questions at issue in toxicology and traffic medicine. A toxicological analysis can be subdivided into the following steps: Detection (identification including screening) Determination (e. g. blood, plasma or serum levels) Interpretation of the analytical results. This book is intended as a contribution to each of these chapters: The part "Analytical Data" (pp.I-122) gives a comprehensive collec tion of data, e.g. general and chromatographic data (TLC, GLC) as well as spectra (UV, IR, MS) of 19 commercial preparations, 23 important metabolites and 18 hydrolysis derivatives. Information about biotransformation and the possible formation of aminobenzo phenone derivatives is also given. The most important analytical methods are presented in an extensive review on pp.123-204 in order to make it possible to select the optimum method on the basis of the essential data."

The previous volume on Antihypertensive Agents in the Handbook of Experi mental Pharmacology, published in 1977, was edited by the late Franz Gross from the Department of Pharmacology in Heidelberg, who was one of the grand old men in hypertension research. Now, more than 10 years later, it is necessary to update this volume. From the early days of antihypertensive drug treatment, starting about 30 years ago with drugs such as reserpine and guanethidine, the pharmacology of cardiovas" cular therapy has evolved into a highly sophisticated and effective therapeutic regimen. The major breakthroughs in the 1960s were the introduction of diuretics and beta-blockers. Then, in the 1980s, came the calcium antagonists and con verting enzyme inhibitors. It can be anticipated that the next decade will see a further expansion and sophistication of blood pressure lowering drugs. This book provides a state-of-the-art discussion of chemical, experimental, and clinical pharmacological data as well as of practical experience with drugs which are presently being used or which are going to be introduced on the market in the near future. The purpose of this volume is to provide a complete discussion of antihypertensive agents. Each major class of antihypertensive drugs is treated exhaustively in a separate chapter, fully referenced with chemical formulae, and richly illustrated with figures and tables. International authorities were asked to contribute in their respective fields of expertise."

Plants are a major source of medicines, flavors, fragrances, and various pharmaceutical and industrial products. Biotechnology is being put to the service for mass clonal propagation of plants, and to produce impor- tant secondary products in cell cultures. In some cases cell cultures ac- cumulate higher amounts of products than the intact plant cells in situ, and such cultures can be stored through immobilization and cryopreser- vation. An in vitro-produced anti-inflammatory drug, shikonin, has been commercialized, and the recent observations on the increased pro- duction of atropine and hyoscyamine by Agrobacterium rhizogenes- mediated transformed "hairy roots" have encouraged the acceptance of such biotechnologies by the pharmaceutical industry. In an earlier volume, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants I, various aspects of in-vitro culture of cells, bioreactors, micropropagation, im- mobilization, and cryopreservation were discussed. The present volume concerns the application of these biotechnologies to 29 genera of medicinal and aromatic plants. It deals with the distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, micro propagation, review of tissue culture studies, and the in-vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Angelica, Anisodus, Basel/a, Bupleurum, Camellia, Co ix, Coptis, Cryp- tomeria, Datura, Dioscorea, Foeniculum, Gardenia, Geigeria, Heimia, Humulus, Hyoscyamus, Jasminum, Macleaya, Mucuna, Nicotiana, Pimpinel/a, Rauwolfia, Ruta, Salvia, So/anum, Saponaria, Stevia, Tabernaemontana, and Zingiber. The potential role of biotechnology for industrial production is discussed. Biotechnology enables the production and isolation of products of higher purity and also opens the possibility of making desired molecular alterations in products.

Of the porphyrinoid structures occurring in nature the most important and most widespread are the red blood pigment heme (1), the green pigment of plant photosynthesis chlorophyll a (2), the bacterial photo- synthetic pigment bacteriochlorophyll a (3), and the "antipernicious" red pigment vitamin BJ2 (4). The basic function of these cofactors are determined by the incorporation of the different metal ions into the macrotetracycles. The different oxidation levels of the macrocyclic ligand system regulate the fine tuning of these functions. The final adaptation of the cofactors to their special molecular environments in the cell compartments is effected by variation of the substitution patterns of the chromophores. HCO,C 3 CO,Phytyl 2 Heme Chlorophyll a CONH, CONH, ~ H,NOC 1 , CONH, /I(Y N~ 3 4 Bacteriochlorophyll a Vitamin B" HO References, pp. 42-51 Naturally Occurring Cyclic Tetrapyrroles 3 Until the mid-1970s the four classic cyclic tetrapyrrolic structures with their porphyrin, chi orin, bacteriochlorin, and corrin skeletons were almost the only representatives in the class of porphyrinoid natural products (1-10). Although other partially reduced porphyrins were conceivable, none of these partially saturated porphyrinoid structures had hitherto been found in nature.

This volume collects the invited lectures and some selected contributions presented at the 5th International Meeting on Clinical Pharmacology in Psychiatry, which was held 26-30 June 1988 at the University of Troms0, Norway. The 24 h of daylight at the northernmost university in the world al lowed for long, pleasant and productive sessions. The title of the conference as well as a number of the topics covered represent a continuation of four previous conferences, the first held in Chicago in 1979 and organized by the late Earl U sdin and colleagues. The earlier conferences have been documented in Clinical Pharmacology in Psychiatry, edited by E. Usdin (Elsevier, New York, 1981), Clinical Pharmacology in Psychiatry. Neuroleptic and Antidepressant Research, edited by E. Usdin, S. G. Dahl, L. F. Gram and o. Lingjrerde (Macmillan Publishers Ltd., London, 1981), Clinical Pharmacology in Psychiatry. Bridging the Experimental-Therapeutic Gap, edited by LF. Gram, E. Usdin, S.G. Dahl, P. Kragh-Sorensen, P. L. Morselli and F. Sjoqvist (Macmillan Publishers Ltd., London, 1983), and Clinical Pharmacology in Psychiatry. Selectivity in Psychotropic Drug Action - Promises or Problems? edited by S. G. Dahl, L.F. Gram, S.M. Paul and W.Z. Potter (Psychopharmacology Series 3, Springer, Heidelberg, 1987)."

According to most studies, allergic reactions represent 35%-50% of all untoward reactions to drugs, yet the pharmacological literature concerning the clinical aspects, diagnosis, and pathophysiological mechanisms of drug allergy is markedly less extensive than reports dealing with the toxicological or pharmacological effects of drugs. The main reasons for this state of affairs may be on the one hand that until a few years ago the pathophysiological mechanisms of the various types of allergic reactions were not well understood, and on the other hand that objective diagnosis of a drug allergy is still fraught with serious difficulties. Drug allergy is still an unpopular topic for most allergologists and pharmacologists; this is reflected by the fact that despite their frequency, allergic reactions to drugs still occupy a relatively small proportion of space in most pharmacology handbooks and in classical books devoted to the side effects of drugs. There has recently been considerable progress in research into the immunologi cal and pathophysiological events occurring in allergic reactions, and on that basis investigations of various drug allergies have also yield d new objective findings. Consequently, it was natural to attempt a review of the most frequent and important drug allergies in the form of a handbook. We originally intended to present a comprehensive review of all drug allergies, but the realization of this goal soon became more difficult than we had at first imagined."

A wide variety of hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors exert their cellular effects by reacting first with membrane receptors resulting in an increase of intracellular calcium and the cellular response. The calcium signal in the cell is mediated by the high-affinity calcium binding proteins (characterized by the EF-hand structural element), and by the calcium and phospholipid dependent proteins. Many of these have been discovered most recently. Their purification, distribution, protein and gene structures as well as their physiological roles are discussed. The book is of interest to biochemists and molecular biologists as well as to clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry who can apply the results in this field.

The recent symposium and the appearance of this new book on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism take place at a very unusual time for the development of this area. After the publication and wide acceptance of the results of the cholestyramine study by the Lipid Clinics in the USA, showing for the first time a direct association between drug induced reduction of plasma levels of total and LDL cholesterol and coronary heart disease in a high risk population, an unparalleled interest in drugs and other procedures able to control plasma cholesterol levels has been activated. Two other significant events occurred during 1986 and 1987: the availability of compact instruments for the immediate determination of total cholesterol in plasma or total blood and the developments of new agents such as the inhibitors of HMG-CoA (hydroxymethyl glutaryl CoA) reductase and ACAT inhibitors, with potentially great effect on plasma lipid levels after oral administration. These new advances, together with the combined efforts of cell biologists and lipoprotein chemists, have set the pace for an exciting period of research and clinical applications of diets and drugs af fecting lipids. This volume, which includes the work of many of the leading world laboratories, represents an authoritative and up-to-date ap praisal of the status of the art and a stimulus to future research at laboratory and clinical level in an area of opportunity for clinical and preventive medicine."

Two aspects of the biotechnology of medicinal and aromatic plants are of immediate application. (1) Micropropagation under controlled germ- free conditions which enables their fast multiplication and availability throughout the year irrespective of external environment - this is specially useful for elite and rare plants. (2) A large-scale culture and low-temperature storage of cells enables retention of their biosynthetic potential for the production of important secondary metabolites, med- icines, flavours and other pharmaceutical products. This book has been compiled with a view to bringing together information and literature on the biotechnology and the present state of the art of plant cell cultures for their potential use in the pharmaceutical industry. This volume comprises 29 chapters on the biotechnology of med- icinal and aromatic plants grouped into three sections, (1) microprop- agation, immobilization, cryopreservation, bioreactors, production of secondary metabolites and their impact in pharmacy, (2) production through cell cultures of antitumour compounds, lrDopa, shikonin, an- thraquinone, morphinan alkaloids, caffeine, berberine, valeoptriates, rosmarinic acid, quinine, tropanes, hypoxoside, ellipticine, paeoniflorin, saponins, cardenolides etc, and (3) distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, review of the tissue culture work on micropropagation and the in vitro production of compounds of medicinal and pharmaceutical interest in various species of Cannabis, Centaurium, Cinchona, Digitalis, Duboisia, Hypoxia, Lithospermum, Ochrosia, Paeonia, Panax, Papavar, Rehmannia, Rhamnus and Rhaza.

Die Befruchtung spielt eine bedeutende Rolle im Entwicklungsgang der Organismen. In ihrem Verlauf werden die Gametenkerne, und damit das genetische Material zweier Individuen, vereinigt. Durch die Meiose (Reduktionsteilung) wird der Ausgangszustand wiederhergestellt, jedoch in einer solchen Weise, daB die elterlichen Erbfaktoren in den verschiedensten Kombinationen neu verteilt werden konnen. Die Beob- achtung von Befruchtungsvorgangen zeigt, daB der eigentlichen Ver- schmelzung der Geschlechtszellen Reaktionen vorausgehen, an denen offensichtlich chemische Wechselwirkungen beteiligt sind. Besonders deutlich lassen sich solche stoffiichen Wechselwirkungen bei niederen Pflanzen beobachten, bei denen beispielsweise Geschlechtsorgane nur gebildet werden, wenn der entsprechende Partner oder Filtrate seines Kulturmediums vorhanden sind. In anderen Fallen kann man beobachten, daB Geschlechtsorgane durch Luft oder Wasser gerichtet aufeinander zu- wachsen oder, daB freibewegliche mannliche Gameten sich gezielt zu stationaren weiblichen Gameten hinbewegen. Solche biologischen Reak- tionen sind auBerordentlich empfindlich, und die Konzentration der beteiligten Stoffe ist entsprechend gering. Dies macht die Ansammlung von gentigenden Mengen fUr die StrukturaufkIarung zu einem auBerst mtih- samen Unternehmen. Obwohl auch in der alteren Literatur zahlreiche Hinweise auf chemische Wechselwirkungen zwischen Sexualpartnern vor- handen sind (42, 43), konnten bisher erst wenige derartige Geschlechts- stoffe identifiziert werden. Erst die hochleistungsnihigen modernen Ana- lysenmethoden, wie Massen- und Kernresonanz-Spektroskopie, haben hierbei die Forschung wesentlich vorangetrieben. Man kennt heute die Molekularstruktur von vier Sexualhormonen, die nunmehr auch synthe- tisch zuganglich sind.

Responding to the dramatic scientific and technological developments in the agro-food sector and to the enormous public concern about novel food production and novel food ingredients this volume focusses on defining, classifying and reassessing the quality of food towards human nutritional needs aimed at health. It is designed for all those actively involved in the food sector and for interested lay persons and responsible consumers interested in getting information about the driving forces of the present and future food market, the food industry, and the food policy and the consumer association.

The study of the biological effects of foreign chemicals (whether therapeutic drugs or chemicals present at work or in the environment) interests the biologist from a number of different and complementary viewpoints. Apart from the more obvious pharmacological and toxicological interest, the experimentalist often uses foreign chemicals to produce in experimental animals disease states similar to naturally occurring diseases, so that their pathogenetic mechanisms and therapy can be studied under controlled conditions. In addition - as Claude Bernard pointed out over a century ago - foreign chemicals can be employed as instruments to analyze the most delicate vital processes; much can be learned about the physiological processes themselves by a careful study of the mechanisms by which these are altered by chemicals. The field of heme and hemoproteins offers an example of the interplay of these different approaches. Their metabolism can be altered by therapeutic drugs and other foreign chemicals and this results in a variety of biological responses that transcend the boundaries of pharmacology into the confines of clinical medi cine, genetics, toxicology, biochemistry and physiology. In this book a multidisciplinary approach to the study of heme metabolism is presented including the effect of chemicals on heme metabolism in patients, the results of experimental work in the whole animal, as well as in vitro studies."

Calorimetry is one of the oldest areas of physical chemistry. The date on which calorimetry came into being may be taken as 13 June 1783, the day on which Lavoisier and Laplace presented a contribution entitled, Memoire de la Chaleur" at a session of the Academie Francaise. Throughout the existence of calorimetry, many new methods have been developed and the measuring techniques have been improved. At p- sent, numerous laboratories worldwide continue to focus attention on the development and applications of calorimetry, and a number of com- nies specialize in the production of calorimeters. The calorimeter is an instrument that allows heat effects in it to be determined by directly measurement of temperature. Accordingly, to determine a heat effect, it is necessary to establish the relationship - tween the heat effect generated and the quantity measured in the ca- rimeter. It is this relationship that unambiguously determines the mathematical model of the calorimeter. Depending on the type of ca- rimeter applied, the accuracy required, and the conditions of heat and mass transfer that prevail in the device, the relationship between the measured and generated quantities can assume different mathematical forms."

The study of biogenic amines, which from the beginning of modern pharma- cology has always attracted the enthusiastic attention of research workers and has led to some of the most brilliant and illuminating experimental results in biology, has been unexpectedly extended in the last fifteen years. 'With the discovery of 5. hydroxytryptamine (enteramine, serotonin), in fact, the vast field of indole- alkylamines has been opened up for research. In a decade of intensive and dedicated work, an immense amount of experi- mental data has been collected, the significance of which, having rapidly overrun the limits of pharmacology, physiology, and biochemistry, has spread into all fields of biology and medicine, as previously occurred with choline esters, catechol- amines and imidazolealkylamines. Thus, the study of indolealkylamines, espe- cially that of their metabolism, has led not only to explanation of the mechanism of action, formerly largely obscure, of some important drugs, to clarification of the pathogenesis of some morbid syndromes and to a parallel flourishing of research on other biogenic amines, but also to surprising achievements in the field of therapeutics. The discovery of monoamineoxidase and dopadecarboxylase inhibitors, and of drugs which block the storage of biogenic amines in the body depots are among the most striking results of research on the indolealkylamines.

This advanced text-cum-reference book presents a comprehensive account of the syntheses, reactions, properties and applications of all the most significant classes of heterocyclic compounds. This second volume in the series is an essential tool not only for advanced undergraduates and graduates, but also for academic and industrial researchers in organic, medicinal, pharmaceutical, dye and agricultural chemistry.

The present book entitled "Novel Frontiers in the Production of Compounds for Biomedical Uses" can perhaps be placed in its best perspective by the Shakespearean character in The Tempest who exclaimed" What's past is prologue". Indeed, this compilation of some of the outstanding presentations in the field of biomedicine made at th the 9 European Congress on Biotechnology (Brussels, Belgium, July 11-15, 1999) not only reflects the achievements of the recent past, but provides a privileged glimpse of the biotechnology that is emerging in the first decade of the new Millennium. It is becoming increasingly apparent that biotechnology is offering biomedicine novel approaches and solutions to develop a sorely needed new generation of biopharmaceuticals. This is all the more necessary because in recent years, new diseases have emerged with extraordinary lethality in all corners of the globe, while age-related chronic illnesses have filled the gap wherever biomedicine has made successful inroads. The rise of antibiotic resistance also poses major threats to public health. Thus, as disease patterns evolve, the rational development of new drugs is becoming urgent, not only for the clinical outcome of patients, but also in optimising the allocation of scarce health care resources through the use of cost-effective productions methods. It is in response to all these challenges that biotechnology offers new strategies that go beyond the more traditional approaches. By the mid-1990's, the number of recombinant products approved annually for therapeutic use reached double digits. With the advent of the genomics revolution.

Nearly three thousand papers and patents are dedicated to the actual or potential uses of cyclodextrins in pharmacy and pharmaceutical formulations. This is the first book written for pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists which not only critically summarizes the enormous amount of literature available, but which can be used as a handbook when looking for solutions to practical problems. The fundamentals -- chemistry of cyclodextrins and their derivatives -- their physical and chemical properties are condensed to the most relevant items in Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 3 deals with the adsorption, metabolism and toxicological properties of cyclodextrins. Chapter 4 explains the formulation, structure, composition and advantageous effects of the cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. Chapter 5 describes the methods for preparation and characterization of drug/cyclodextrin complexes. Chapters 6 and 7 are dedicated to the pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutical and technological aspects of drug/CD complexes. Chapter 8 treats the application and effects of cyclodextrins in various drug formulations. The Appendix comprises a collection of recipes for any type of drug formulation. This book is aimed at those who use cyclodextrins in drug formulations, to improve the properties of existing drug formulations, or who want to prepare quite new formulations.

This book has been developed from its earlier and far less formal presentment as the proceedings of a symposium entitled The Biochemistry of S-Adenosylmethionine as a Basis for Drug Design that was held at the Solstrand Fjord Hotel in Bergen, Norway on June 30-July 4, 1985. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together scientists from various disciplines (biochemistry, pharmacology, virology, immunology, chemistry, medicine, and so on) to discuss the recent advances that have been made in our understanding of the biological roles of S adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) and to discuss the feasibility of utilizing AdoMet-dependent enzymes as targets for drug design. Thus the information provided herein will be of value not only to basic scientists involved in elucidating the role of AdoMet in biology, but also to medicinal chemists who are using this basic knowledge in the process of drug design. The volume should also be of interest to pharmacologists and clinicians involved in biological evaluation of potential therapeutic agents arising from the efforts of the biochemists and medicinal chemists. Each plenary speaker at the symposium was requested to submit a chapter reviewing recent contributions of their discipline to our base of knowledge about the biological role of AdoMet. Topics covered in this volume include protein and phospholipid methylations (Section A), nucleic acid methyl ations (Section B), the regulation of AdoMet, S-adenosylhomocysteine, and methylthioadenosine metabolism (Section C), clinical aspects of AdoMet (Section D), and the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of trans methylation inhibitors (Section E)."

In spite of important advances in asymmetric synthesis, chiral compounds cannot all be obtained in a pure state by asymmetric synthesis. As a result, enantiomer separation remains an important technique for obtaining optically active materials. Although asymmetric synthesis is a once-only procedure, an enantiomer separation process can be repeated until the optically pure sample is obtained. This book discusses several new enantiomer separation methods using modern techniques developed by experts in the field. These methods consist mainly of the following three types: 1) Enantiomer separation by inclusion complexation with a chiral host compound 2) Enantiomer separation using biological methods 3) Enantiomer separation by HPLC chromatography using a column containing a chiral stationary phase. Separation of a racemic compound has been called "optical resolution" or simply "resolution." Nowadays, the descriptions "enantiomer resolution" or "enantiomer separation" are also commonly used. Accordingly, "Enantiomer Separation" is used in the title of this book. The editor and all chapter contributors hope that this book is helpful for scientists and engineers working in this field.

Application of polymers from renewable resources - also identified as biopolymers - has a large potential market due to the current emphasis on sustainable technology. For optimal R&D achievements and hence benefits from these market opportunities, it is essential to combine the expertise available in the vast range ofdifferent disciplines in biopolymer science and technology. The International Centre of Biopolymer Technology - ICBT - has been created with support from the European Commission to facilitate co operation and the exchange of scientific knowledge between industries, universities and other research groups. One of the activities to reach these objectives, is the organisation ofa conference on Biopolymer Technology. In September 1999, the first international conference on Biopolymer Technology was held in Coimbra, Portugal. Because of its success - both scientifically and socially - and because ofthe many contacts that resulted in exchange missions or other ICBT activities, it was concluded that a second conference on Biopolymer Technology was justified. This second conference was held in Ischia, Italy in October 2000. And again, the scientific programme contained a broad spectrum ofpresentations in a range of fields such as biopolymer synthesis, modification, technology, applications, material testing and analytical methods."

This lab manual guides chemists through demonstrations of synergistic effects between polyelectrolytes and nanoparticles. After a short introduction into the field of polyelectrolytes and polyelectrolyte characterization, the book discusses the role of polyelectrolytes in the process of nanoparticle formation. The book also explains methods for characterization of the polyelectrolyte-modified nanoparticles.

The herbai medicine industry is growing at an astounding rate. Trade group estimates suggest that total sales exceeded $4 billion dollars in 1999. Herbai remedies are for sale not just in health food stores, but in supermar kets, drug stores, and even discount warehouses. Along with the proliferation in sales has come a proliferation ofinformation sources. Not all ofthe sources are equally reliable, or even intelligible. Traditional herbalists c1assify thistle and mugwort as "cholagogues," substances used to make the gallbladder con tract and release bile. Medical school graduates are unlikely to have ever heard the term, or even accept the notion that most right-sided abdominal pain is a result of diminished bile flow. Heroin and cocaine may not be the only drugs to come from plants, but a practicing physician or toxicologist might be forgiven for thinking so. In 1998, 1264 papers were published about cocaine and only 17 about kava kava, an abused herb that is not without toxic side effects. Unfortunately, the majority of the papers about kava kava were published in journals not found in ordi nary hospitallibraries. In recognition ofthis fact, and ofthe obvious need for a reliable reference work on herbai toxicology, The Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology 0/ Herbal Products was an early addition to our new series in Forensie Science and Medicine. It is very badly needed."