55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs: The Complete Natural Medicine Guide (Second Edition)

Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD, and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND
Robert Rose Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9780778802150
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (2/11)

There are many books on the market that have lists of medicinal herbs and many are good.  However, I believe that “55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs” is certainly one of the better ones. Each herb listed comes with common uses, active constituents, adverse effects, cautions/contraindications, drug interactions, and doses.  As well, the authors include relevant research and selected references.

One of my favorites is ginger and I was pleased to see that “The Commission E, a German government advisory body, has approved the use of ginger in the management of motion sickness.”  It’s not much wonder I like ginger because not only is it a digestive aid, it is a circulatory stimulant and lowers cholesterol.  As well, Boon and Smith give studies that were conducted with asthma, migraine, cancer, obese, and diabetes patients and how ginger affected their wellness.

The book covers common and well-known herbs; ones that most people have heard of at some point, especially if the interest lies in herbology. The information is concise but most of all understandable.  Any lay person would have no problem gleaning the information from “55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs” and transforming it into their own use.  The authors' research is extensive and well documented.  I encourage practitioners to consider “55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs” as a resource for their library.

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