Herbs are quite literally everywhere; it is only our ability to recognise their value that has been lost. Vicky and Kim explore the traditional uses of herbs combined with a modern and scientific understanding of a truly holistic approach so that you can use herbs to treat ailments and improve your general wellbeing. The book contains fascinating information about herbs with suggestions of what each herb can be used for. Did you know that daisies infused in oil can be used to reduce bruises? That roses can help grieving and anxiety? Or that elderflower cordial can bring down a temperature? There is also an introduction to each of the body's systems (nervous, respiratory etc.) and which herbs are best for treatments. And of course, the book is peppered with vinegars, balms, oils, tinctures, creams, lotions and syrups to create your own little herbal health kit. Vicky and Kim also encourage people to reconnect with their local environment in addition to growing herbs in their gardens or windowsills. An all-encompassing guide for the beginner, The Handmade Apothecary is filled with guidance, useful tips and tried-and-tested recipes that will inspire people to make their own remedies. Also by Vicky Chown and Kim Walker: The Herbal Remedy Handbook

This book deals with the creation of the algorithmic backbone that enables a computer to perceive humans in a monitored space. This is performed using the same signals that humans process, i.e., audio and video. Computers reproduce the same type of perception using sensors and algorithms in order to detect and track multiple interacting humans, by way of multiple cues, like bodies, faces or speech. This application domain is challenging, because audio and visual signals are cluttered by both background and foreground objects. First, particle filtering is established as the framework for tracking. Then, audio, visual and also audio-visual tracking systems are separately explained. Each modality is analyzed, starting with sensor configuration, detection for tracker initialization and the trackers themselves. Techniques to fuse the modalities are then considered. Instead of offering a monolithic approach to the tracking problem, this book also focuses on implementation by providing MATLAB code for every presented component. This way, the reader can connect every concept with corresponding code. Finally, the applications of the various tracking systems in different domains are studied.

Significant advances made by Western medicine in the treatment of cancer are well-documented, but little has been written in English on complementary holistic treatment with Chinese medical methods that manage its symptoms and ameliorate the side effects of surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This book explains the complementary approach using cases from the medical files of Professor Rencun Yu, who was trained in Western medical oncology but also practices Chinese medicine. In addition, introductory chapters explain the basic principles of Chinese medicine, while other chapters cover the prevention of cancers through appropriate nutrition and living habits. The book should command the attention of medical professionals as well as the layperson interested in preventing and understanding the illness. There is no equivalent book in English that so skillfully combines an introduction to Chinese medical principles and cancer management for the general reader with detailed clinical studies of the crucial complementary role played by Chinese medicine in Western treatments for cancer patients.

The User's Manual is a transformative guide to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the 21st century, showing how these differ from those underlying Western medicine, what that means in practice and how we can help our bodies to heal themselves and thereby achieve a longer, healthier life. Books about TCM tend to be thousands of years old, very detailed and without reference to contemporary scientific knowledge. As a former computer engineer, Alex Wu draws parallels between the way a computer functions and the functioning of the human body in order to interpret the key concepts within Chinese medicine so that they become significantly easier to understand for today's readers. As he explains, Chinese medicine provides a dramatically different point of view to that of Western medicine, in particular its foundation belief that the body has a powerful self-healing system that must be nurtured and encouraged, not stifled with symptom-suppressing treatments. Taking the simple examples of gout, psoriasis, the common cold and today's obesity epidemic, the author explores the TCM and conventional medical approaches, showing how promoting body energy and self-healing can resolve the `incurable'. Alex Wu says: `Many readers have used the simple methods described in this book to achieve a healthy lifestyle and thereby improve their health within a short time... Modern medicine has not made significant advances in many chronic conditions for many years. It may be that the problem stems from its basic philosophy.' Here is an opportunity to look at health and medicine from a completely different point of view.

The world of development thinkers and practitioners is abuzz with a new lexicon: the idea of "the nexus" between water, food, and energy which is intuitively compelling. It promises better integration of multiple sectoral elements, a better transition to greener economies, and sustainable development. However, there appears to be little agreement on its precise meaning, whether it only complements existing environmental governance approaches or how it can be enhanced in national contexts. One current approach to the nexus treats it as a risk and security matter while another treats it within economic rationality addressing externalities across sector. A third perspective acknowledges it as a fundamentally political process requiring negotiation amongst different actors with distinct perceptions, interests, and practices. This perspective highlights the fact that technical solutions for improving coherence within the nexus may have unintended and negative impacts in other policy areas, such as poverty alleviation and education. The Water-Food-Energy Nexus: Power, Politics and Justice lays out the managerial-technical definitions of the nexus and challenges these conceptions by bringing to the forefront the politics of the nexus, around two key dimensions - a dynamic understanding of water-food-energy systems, and a normative positioning around nexus debates, in particular around social justice. The authors argue that a shift in nexus governance is required towards approaches where limits to control are acknowledged, and more reflexive/plural strategies adopted. This book will be of interest to academic researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the fields of international development studies, environmental politics, and science and technology studies, as well as international relations.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) originated from the traditional medical system in the Chinese civilization, with influences from the Daoist and Chinese folk traditions in bodily cultivation and longevity techniques. In the past few decades, TCM has become one of the leading alternative medical systems in the United States. This book demonstrates the fluidity of a medical ideological system with a rich history of methodological development and internal theoretical conflicts, continuing to transform in our postmodern world where people and ideas transcend geographic, ethnic, and linguistic limitations. The unique historical trajectories and cultural dynamics of the American society are critical nutrients for the localization of TCM, while the constant traffic of travelers and immigrants foster the globalizing tendency of TCM. The practitioners in this book represent an incredible range of clinical applications, personal styles, theoretical rationalizations, and business models. What really unifies all these practitioners is not their specific practices but the goal of these practices. The shared goal is to strive for health, not just health in terms of the lack of illness but the ultimate health of achieving perfect balance in every aspect of the being of a person-physically, mentally, spiritually, and energetically.

This book examines the history and evolution of Ayurveda and other indigenous medical traditions in juxtaposition with their encounter with colonial modernity. Through the lens of hereditary folk and Ayurvedic practitioners, it focuses on Kerala's heterogeneous medical traditions and presents them against the backdrop of the geographical, historical, sociocultural, ethnographic and regional contexts in which they developed and transformed. The author explores the world of Kerala's last traditionally trained hereditary practitioners (folk healers, poison therapists, Sanskrit-speaking Muslim Ayurvedic practitioners and the legendary Brahman Ashtavaidyan physicians). He discusses the views of these physicians regarding the marked difference between their personalised ancestral methods of treatment and the standardised version of Ayurveda compliant with biomedicine that is practised by doctors today. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, this book will be useful to researchers and scholars of medical anthropology, health and social medicine, sociology and social anthropology, the history of science and modern Indian history, as well as to medical practitioners interested in alternative and traditional medicine.

Indigenous Knowledge and Development: Livelihoods, Health Experiences, and Medicinal Plant Knowledge in a Mexican Biosphere Reserve provides an ethnographic account of a group of indigenous people living in a natural resource protected area in west central Mexico. The political, economic, and social history of these indigenous Nahua people is related to their cultural knowledge. As an anthropological study, the analysis presented in this book is based on household level socioeconomic data and cultural knowledge measured through the use of both structured and semi-structured interviews. The study presented here moves back and forth between the macro- and micro- to explore the relationships between three central axes-health, livelihood and cultural knowledge. The Sierra of Manantlan Biosphere Reserve is the fieldsite where this study was carried out during 2007 and 2008. This Reserve is governed by explicit goals of cultural and natural resource preservation. Exhaustive household censuses give a comprehensive view of livelihood activities, and individual health experiences are measured using a structured interview. Demonstrated through the economic activity profiles present in the study sample, the indigenous people in the Reserve subsist through low-intensity agriculture, animal husbandry, and paid labor. Political histories of Mexico and the Reserve, specifically, continually shape subsistence strategies and the agrarian communities. Medical pluralism and the health profile in Mexico influence the local-level health status and access to health care services in the Reserve, demonstrated by the persistence of medicinal plant knowledge. The interviews with medicinal plant experts and biomedical practitioners are used to illustrate the spectrum of opinions regarding usage of medicinal plants across the three study communities in the Reserve. Significantly, there is neither a direct nor linear relationship between the loss of cultural knowledge and increasing modernity. This research contributes to ethnographic knowledge about conservation and cultural heritage on protected areas in Mexico.

This unique volume draws on the rich culture, folklore and environment of medicinal plants in Ecuador, which includes the important rain forest region. This country has rich plant resources and a large diversity of plants. In particular, the Biotechnological Research Center of Ecuador, CIBE, is an important center of plant research and biodiversity. For more than 16 years, CIBE has been performing scientific research on plants and microorganisms with extensive focus on biodiversity, biotechnology, bioproducts, hytopathology, molecular biology, tissue culture and technology transfer. The Center has state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology and a great strength in human resources.

This unique volume draws on the rich culture, folklore and environment of medicinal plants in Ecuador, which includes the important rain forest region. This country has rich plant resources and a large diversity of plants. In particular, the Biotechnological Research Center of Ecuador, CIBE, is an important center of plant research and biodiversity. For more than 16 years, CIBE has been performing scientific research on plants and microorganisms with extensive focus on biodiversity, biotechnology, bioproducts, hytopathology, molecular biology, tissue culture and technology transfer. The Center has state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology and a great strength in human resources.

This introduction to the key principles of needling techniques for acupuncturists has been produced with the needs of the student in mind, and serves as a core learning tool for beginners, and a handy reference for later use. The book covers everything from the basics of good practice in care of filiform needles, through methods of insertion, to manipulation and the arrival of Qi. Reinforcing and reducing methods of acupuncture are explained, as are the four essential needling manipulations of Dragon-Tiger-Tortoise-Phoenix. The book concludes with practical chapters on the retention and withdrawal of needles, and the management and prevention of accidents. Explanations are clear and illustrated with diagrams, and fully demonstrated in action on the accompanying digital download. For ease of use, all key manipulations and principles are indexed on the digital download for quick reference and easy repetition. This practical guide will be an invaluable learning and reference aid to all students and practitioners of acupuncture.

While almost all mushrooms share beneficial properties which heighten the immune system, the chapters of this book are dedicated to mushrooms that are the most promising possibilities for healing a variety of illnesses, including reishi (for liver disorders), cordyceps sinesis (anti-ageing), maitake (cancer), and hericum erinaceud (Alzheimer's Disease), among others. Mushrooms have been found in human culture for thousands of years. They have been used as a medicine since the very beginning, but in the past fifty years several major advancements in medicine have come from mushroom and other fungi, including the most famous of all, penicillin. This book explores mushroom history, as well as their possible uses in the future.

Medicinal plants and plant-derived medicine are widely used in traditional cultures all over the world and they are becoming increasingly popular in modern society as natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals. As more and more natural remedies are being commercialised, there is a need for a user-friendly reference guide to the plants and their products. The book gives the reader a bird's eye view of more than 350 of the bestknown medicinal plants of the world and their uses, in a compact, colourful and scientifically accurate reference text. It provides quick answers to the most obvious 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? The authors also provide short overviews of the various health conditions for which medicinal plants are used and the active compounds (secondary metabolites) found in the plants and their modes of actions.

A revised and refreshed edition of Culpeper's classic book on herbal remedies. "[An] updated and beautifully designed guide . . . " --Booklist For more than 360 years, Nicholas Culpeper's historic guide to herbal remedies has been THE definitive book on the subject. Culpeper, an English herbalist, is the author of the bestselling herbal guide of all time. He offered valuable and sometimes unusual advice on using, gathering, and preparing herbs. Now, this beautifully illustrated new edition, edited and with commentary by acclaimed US herbalist and bestselling author Steven Foster, combines the charm and information of Culpeper's original seventeenth-century text with up-to-date, modern, practical usage. It includes details about where to find each herb, astrology, and medicinal benefits.

The Complete Language of Herbs is a comprehensive encyclopedia providing the meanings, powers, facts, and folklore for over 500 herbs and spices. Along with a beautiful visual depiction, each entry provides the herb or spice's scientific and common names, characteristics, and historic meanings and powers from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry. Did you know that allspice can be added to herbal mixtures to attract money or luck? Or that sprinkling arrowroot at the doors of your home will keep guests' negative energy from entering? Reaching the height of popularity during the Victorian era, floriographies-dictionaries of symbolic flower meanings-were an amusing pastime and art to subtly communicate unspoken emotions. To complement the success of The Complete Language of Flowers, author S. Theresa Dietz has scoured historic sources and compiled an equally beautiful compendium in The Complete Language of Herbs, revealing the secrets and powers of hundreds of common and forgotten herbs and spices from around the world. Together with stunning full-color illustrations and two indexes, one for searching by common herb and spice name and the other organized by meaning, this beautiful reference is a must-have for gardeners, chefs, party planners, and food enthusiasts. Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, the Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy references on a range of intriguing topics, including birthday astrology, dream interpretation, astrological self-care practices, techniques for harnessing the power of dreams, and the stories behind signs and symbols.

In Walking with Trees, Glennie Kindred takes us on an intimate and profoundly connecting walk with thirteen of our native trees. She leads us into their worlds and opens our hearts to their wonders, their qualities and their potential to heal. This is a book about relationships and inter-relationships: Our relationship with the trees, their relationships with each other and with the natural world around them, and the flow of our communal relationship, past and present, which affects us all as the web of life on Earth. Illustrated with the authors exquisite pencil drawings, Glennie's passion for trees is infectious, and inspires us to look more closely, listen more intently and walk with trees more often. She shares her stories and encounters with trees and weaves together many ways to deepen our engagement with them, from growing them, harvesting and using them for medicine, food, and craftwork. She also encourages us to find our way into a more subtle and intuitive relationship with the trees, as part of our journey to heal our fractured relationship with the Earth. As with all of Glennie's books, the seasonal cycles and the Earth festivals are interwoven and provide further ways to deepen our journey with trees. This is a book about possibilities, for those who care for our environment. This is a book that reminds you of what you might have missed or forgotten, and reminds you of your power. This is a book of our time, where we recognise our deep interconnectivity with the trees, with all of life and with the Earth herself. It inspires us to open our arms and hearts wide, and joyfully embrace the changes.

This path-breaking book reinterprets Chinese medicine using the approach of the philosophy of science in a manner that strikes common ground with biomedical science. It strips Chinese medical theory of the mystique and metaphysical pretentions that too often plague the discipline, presenting this theory as being derived from empirical observations and clinical findings. Concepts like qi and phlegm and vital organs like the shen (kidney) are interpreted, not as physical entities with defined measurable properties, but as constructs to facilitate the application of models for diagnosis and therapy. The author evaluates the five-element model and the diagnostic-therapeutic paradigm of Chinese medical syndromes, and suggests how these heuristic models can be subjected to clinical trials. Principles governing the use of herbal, acupuncture, tuina and qigong therapies are elucidated and critically examined. Written for medical professionals, philosophers of medicine and discerning readers interested in alternative therapies, the book also has practical chapters on the placebo effect and Chinese medical treatment of chronic illnesses, and a useful compilation of common Chinese herbs and formulations.

Cancer is one of the leading killers in the world and the incidence is increasing, but most cancer patients and cancer survivors suffer much from the disease and its conventional treatments side effects. In the past, clinical data showed that some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) possessed anticancer abilities, but some clinicians and scientists have queried about the scientific validity of CAM due to the lack of scientific evidence. There is great demand in narrowing the knowledge gap to explore the scientific and evidence-based knowledge of CAM in the anticancer field. With this aim, an unparalleled undertaking of a book series is launched to structurally consolidate this area.

Although acupuncture and moxibustion have been practiced for millennia, they have come under scientific investigation only recently. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been used clinically to treat cancer-related symptoms (e.g. cancer pain, anxiety, depression and insomnia), manage treatment-induced side effects (e.g. hot flashes, nausea and vomiting) and enhance immunity (e.g. blood cell count, lymphocyte and natural killer cell activity). This is the first book manages to provide comprehensive and updated scientific evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion intervention for cancer care. Laboratory and animal studies have uncovered the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer therapy. Promising results of most clinical trials show the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in cancer management. This book consists of fifteen chapters which address a range of important aspects that will impact on the application of acupuncture and moxibustion. An overview of the safety and side effects of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer care are also covered. In addition, the integration of acupuncture with Western medicine in cancer treatment and recent clinical trials are included as well.

Opinion leaders around the world have teamed up to pursue a thorough and up-to-date review of the area, this volume will contribute great to the cancer, clinical and academic community by providing evidence-based information on the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion as an anticancer therapy."

Early modern almanacs have received relatively little academic attention over the years, despite being the first true form of British mass media. While their major purpose was to provide annual information about the movements of the stars and the corresponding effects on Earth, most contained a range of other material, including advice on preventative and remedial medicine for humans and animals. Based on the most extensive research to date into the relationship between the popular press, early modern medical beliefs and practices, this study argues that these cheap, annual booklets played a major role in shaping contemporary medical beliefs and practices in early modern England. Beginning with an overview of printed vernacular medical literature, the book examines in-depth the genre of almanacs, their authors, target and actual audiences. It discusses the various types of medical information and advice in almanacs, preventative and remedial medicine for humans, as well as 'non-commercial' and 'commercial' medicines promoted in almanacs, and the under-explored topic of animal health care. -- .

Charles Buck draws on three decades of study, practice and teaching in this book to provide a relevant and engaging account of the origins of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. From its pre-Han dynasty roots to Chinese medicine as we know it today, Buck covers the key texts, the main scholars and the concepts they have contributed, emphasising those that are more relevant to clinicians wishing to understand the authentic tradition. The information presented is based on diverse sources including original translations of Chinese sources and interpretations of the work of many prominent medical sinologists. With Buck's lucid and engaging style, Roots of Modern Practice provides an accessible and authoritative resource that will help practitioners and students deepen their understanding of this great medical tradition. A practical and modern appreciation of China's medical wisdom, this book will be of great value to students and practitioners of Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and anyone interested in the roots of this time-honoured medicine.