Bell Stacey J. - Prescription for Herbal Healing

PRESCRIPTION
for
Herbal Healing

SECOND EDITION

PRESCRIPTION
for
Herbal Healing

SECOND EDITION

PHYLLIS A. BALCH, CNC

Revised and Updated by

STACEY BELL, DSC

AVERY
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. New York

Published by the Penguin Group
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Copyright 2012 by Phyllis A. Balch Revocable Trust
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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Balch, Phyllis A., date.

Prescription for herbal healing : an easy-to-use A-to-Z reference to hundreds of common disorders and thier herbal remedies / Phyllis A. Balch.2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58005-9

1. HerbsTherapeutic use. I. Title.

RM666.H33B355 2012 2011049379

615.321dc23

Printed in the United States of America

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the authors nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

While the authors have made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the authors assume any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

For each medical condition that appears in .

I wish to acknowledge the following people, who both advised and supported me as I prepared and wrote Prescription for Herbal Healing: my daughter, Cheryl Keene; my grandchildren, Ryan and Rachel; my research and editing staff, Christina DiMaio and Debbie Rimer; Theresa Auman, who managed Good Things Naturally; the manufacturers and suppliers who allowed me to test their products before I recommended them to my readers; and my readers, who have remained loyal throughout the years.

Open this herbal encyclopedia before you open your medicine cabinet. This book may help with illnesses from colds and flu to mitigating pain from arthritis. You can easily and quickly look up your ailment or disorder, get a clear explanation of what may have caused it, and find a list of herbal options to use in treating that particular illness or condition. You will get straightforward alternatives so that you can establish when and if you should call a qualified health-care professional. Prescription for Herbal Healing is a collection of herbal treatments that are reliable and understood in scientific terms. It offers precise herbal prescriptions that can be used to treat an array of health conditions. It lists herbs and formulas that can amplify the benefits of a healthy diet, nutritional supplementation, and natural healing techniques. It presents clear information on the compatibility of herbs with conventional medication in the treatment of health conditions. It points out possibilities for combining herbal healing with conventional treatment with outcomes that neither can achieve alone for various conditions.

Its amazing how far we have come in natural healing, without serious side effects. Herbal treatments are capable of healing all kinds of disorders and all parts of the body. Many countries, especially the European countries and China, are ahead of the United States in using natural products such as herbs, but even in North America, many doctors now blend the best of conventional medicine with alternative healing and have found powerful new treatments that work. In Germany, herbal medicine is prescribed in the same way as regular pharmaceuticals. The major herbs have been evaluated by scholars, and the information compiled into a tome called The Complete German Commission E Monographs. Until recently, the book was only available in German, but has since been translated into English. Herbal medicine has come so far in the United States that the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference)a compilation of manufacturers prescribing information of prescription drugs and the bible for all physicians in the United Statesnow includes an entire book devoted to herbal remedies in its publication series.

of this book defines the principles and materials of herbal healing. Then it lists over 200 of the plants used in traditional herbal healing and the scientific evidence for their use in extending health. It gives the most current scientific explanation of how each herb has been used successfully for centuries as a healing tool. It also provides current clinical information on the herbal formulas of ayurveda, traditional Chinese, Native American, and South American medicine most widely used today, as well as several modern herbal formulas of great healing potential.

Although every herb and formula listed in are at least understood in chemical terms and can be used with predictable results with modern medicinemost are considered safe according to The Complete German Commission E Monographs. Interestingly, most conventional drugs were originally derived from plant sources. The problem with this is that to make a pharmaceutical drug, the component of the herb believed to be responsible for its activity is extracted and concentrated. In their whole form, herbs are buffered because they contain many different components. Because of this, they may be less likely to cause side effects (which can sometimes be worse than the original problem). However, herbs also may cause side effects. When there are side effects, such effects are noted and explained in detail in this book.