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.

What can we learn from nature? The study of the physical, chemical and structural properties of well-known minerals in the geo- and biosphere creates new opportunities for innovative applications in technology, environment or medicine. This book highlights today's research on outstanding minerals such as garnets used as components in all solid state batteries, delafossite formation during wastewater treatment, monazites for the immobilization of high level radioactive waste or hyroxylapatite as bioactive material for medical implant applications. Contents Part I: High-technology materials Lithium ion-conducting oxide garnets Olivine-type battery materials Natural and synthetic zeolites Microstructure analysis of chalcopyrite-type CuInSe2 and kesterite-type Cu2ZnSnSe4 absorber layers in thin film solar cells Surface-engineered silica via plasma polymer deposition Crystallographic symmetry analysis in NiTi shape memory alloys Part II: Environmental mineralogy Gold, silver, and copper in the geosphere and anthroposphere: can industrial wastewater act as an anthropogenic resource? Applied mineralogy for recovery from the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Phosphates as safe containers for radionuclides Immobilization of high-level waste calcine (radwaste) in perovskites Titanate ceramics for high-level nuclear waste immobilization Part III: Biomineralization, biomimetics, and medical mineralogy Patterns of mineral organization in carbonate biological hard materials Sea urchin spines as role models for biological design and integrative structures Nacre: a biomineral, a natural biomaterial, and a source of bio-inspiration Hydroxylapatite coatings: applied mineralogy research in the bioceramics field A procedure to apply spectroscopic techniques in the investigation of silica-bearing industrial materials

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."

A treasure trove of uncommon and reliable scientific and clinical information for the toxicity and usefulness of today's leading nonherbal dietary supplements. The supplements detailed were chosen for their popularity, toxicity, and the quantity and quality of information available. Each monograph discusses the history of the compound; its chemical structure; its current and promoted uses, sources, and chemical composition; and its toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and physiological role. Also presented are case reports of adverse effects and interactions, as well as information on reproductive effects, chemical and biofluid analysis, and regulatory status. Each chapter is based on original studies published in reputable peer-reviewed journals, as well as on meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or other high-quality assessments by recognized experts.