This volume provides reviews and details of the quality, safety and efficacy for some of the top-selling botanicals worldwide, including black cohosh, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, milk thistle, St John's wort and valerian. The work was written based on a systematic review of the scientific literature from 1975-2000.;Each review includes a brief introduction, a section on quality including a definition of the crude drug, geographical distribution, and a listing of the major chemical constituents. The safety and efficacy sections summarize the medical uses, pharmacology, contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, dose and dosage forms. The safety and efficacy sections were written for a busy health-care professional, and should enable one to ascertain which clinical uses are supported by clinical data, without having to read through all the pharmacology. Each chapter is fully referenced, enabling the reader to access further information when necessary.

Cancer treatment has enjoyed half a century of healthy development, relying mainly on surgery, cytotoxic therapy and radiation. Achievements and successes are well reflected in the longer survival period and better quality of life. Nonetheless, cancer still spreads locally, recurs, metastasizes and remains one of the top killers.Instead of concentrating on cancer removal, it has become obvious that supportive measures are also important. These include the means to improve quality of life during treatment and to contain tumor growth. To this end, herbal medicine appears to offer holistic support via as yet unknown pathways.This volume reveals the practice of cancer treatment using herbs from all over the world, including China, India and Japan. It provides comprehensive information about the herbs commonly used, the logic of using the herbs, some of the mechanisms of action and other means of palliative treatment. While cancer victims have a thirst for choosing their own supplementary treatment, health providers have a duty to explain to them the justifications and the options.

The second volume of this book series on the modern practice of Chinese medicine continues with the focus on evidence-based TCM research. It is even more focused than the preceding one ? providing detailed information about the best sources of herbal supply required for research and drug development purposes. Herbal supply has always been a major concern for TCM researchers because it is difficult to ensure that the supply is of the best quality. Another highlight of the book are the special reviews on the state of Good Agricultural Practice.