FOREWORD V
- Indications and Usage: Information on the uses
of the herb is listed under five categories, as applica-
ble:
— Approved by Commission E
— Unproven Uses
— Chinese Medicine
— Indian Medicine
— Homeopathic
Approved uses are presented in list fashion. Other
uses are described with provisos as necessary regard-
ing route and form of administration.
- Contraindications: Although most natural reme-
dies can be used under all medical circumstances, a
few pharmacologically potent herbs must be avoided
in the presence of certain medical conditions. If any
such contraindications exist, they are summarized
here.
- Precautions and Adverse Reactions: Found in
this section are any cautions or special considerations
regarding safe use of the herb, including any restric-
tions on use in pregnancy or childhood. Although
most herbal remedies are notably free of known side
effects, any reported in the available literature are
noted here.
- Overdosage: As we all know, "natural" is not syn-
onymous with "benign," and an overdose of many
"healing" herbs can have serious—even fatal—conse-
quences. Whenever adverse effects of overdose have
been found in the literature, they are reported here,
along with the appropriate medical interventions to be
undertaken when an overdose occurs.
- Dosage: Listed here are common modes of admin-
istration, forms and strengths of available commercial
preparations, methods for preparing the natural herb,
and representative dosage recommendations drawn
from the literature. Note, however, that dosage recom-
mendations can be used only as a general guide. The
potency of individual preparations and extracts is sub-
ject to substantial variation, so the manufacturer's
directions should be consulted whenever available.
- Literature: This section provides you with a
unique bibliography of the technical literature.
Because German researchers have been particularly
active in the herbal arena, you will find an unusual
number of German-language citations. However,
work in the English literature is included as well.
To assist you in quickly locating the information you
require, the monographs have been indexed by name,
therapeutic category, general indications, homeopathic
indications, Asian indications, and side effects. To aid
you in evaluating potential risk, a drug/herb interac-
tion guide and a safety guide are also included. An
index of manufacturers completes the set. Here's an
overview of what each index provides:.
- Alphabetical Index: This index includes all scien-
tific, common, and brand names found in the herbal
monographs, together with appropriate page numbers.
- Therapeutic Category Index: This index lists the
monographs and their page numbers, alphabetically by
accepted common name, under appropriate therapeutic
category headings. Herbs deemed effective by
Commission E are flagged with a (•) symbol at their
left. To facilitate comparison with prescription and
nonprescription drugs, PDR's standard therapeutic cat-
egories are used throughout.
- Indications Index: This index lists herbs and their
page numbers, alphabetically by accepted common
name, under their various indications. Herbs deemed
effective for the indication by Commission E are
flagged with a (•) symbol at their left. To help you
quickly identify conventional alternatives, the indica-
tion headings match those found in PDR's Indications
Index, which appears in the PDR Companion Guide™
and the PDR Electronic Library ™ CD-ROM.
- Homeopathic Indications Index: Included in this
index are only the uses found in homeopathy. Herbs,
which homeopaths typically prescribe by scientific
name, are listed here in the same manner, followed by
their accepted common name in parentheses. As in
the main indications index, headings are chosen to
match those in the PDR Companion Guide.
- Asian Indications Index: Entries in this index are
limited to uses found in Chinese and Indian medicine.
(Chinese entries are signified with a "C;" Indian
entries with an "I.") Herbs are listed by accepted com-
mon name. Once again, indication headings employ
the nomenclature used in the PDR Companion Guide.
- Side Effects Index: In this index, you'll find a list
of all herbs associated with a given adverse reaction.
Herbs are listed alphabetically by accepted common
name, with the scientific name and page number
