PDR for Herbal Medicines

VI PDR FOR HERBAL MEDICINES

appended. Nomenclature employed in the side effect

headings matches that used in PDR's Side Effects

Index, another feature of the PDR Companion Guide

and the PDR Electronic Library CD-ROM.

• Drug/Herb Interactions Guide: In this convenient
  reference, each potential interaction is listed under
  both the name of the drug and the name of the interact-
  ing herb. A brief description of the interaction's effect
  follows each item.


• Safety Guide: This section lists botanicals in three
  precautionary categories:
  — Not for use during pregnancy
  — Not for use while nursing
  — For use only under supervision
  Here, the scientific, common, and brand names of all
  herbs in each category are listed alphabetically, togeth-
  er with the appropriate page number for further infor-
  mation.


• Manufacturers Index: This index provides you
  with contact information for each supplier whose prod-
  ucts appear in the herbal monographs. The names of
  the products, together with the page number of the
  monograph in which they appear, are included in each
  manufacturer's entry.

Following the indices, just as in PDR itself, you'll find

an extensive full-color identification section. The first

part of the section—the Herb Identification Guide—

encompasses nearly 400 of the most widely used

herbs. The second part—the Product Identification

Guide—includes photos of some of the more popular

commercial formulations. Together, these guides pro-

vide you with a truly unique reference unmatched in

any other printed resource. We've also included a

brief glossary of the unfamiliar terms found in the

monographs.

PDR for Herbal Medicines is the product of one of the

most thorough and inclusive examinations of the

herbal literature ever undertaken. Nevertheless, it's

important to remember that it merely summarizes and

synthesizes key data from the underlying research

reports, and of necessity includes neither every pub-

lished report nor every recorded fact.

As in all scientific investigation, conclusions regarding
the effectiveness of the herbs discussed in this com-
pendium are based on the preponderance of current

evidence and cannot be considered firm or final. The

publisher does not warrant that any herb will unfail-

ingly and uniformly exhibit the properties ascribed to

it by Germany's Commission E or any other scientific

authority.

In the United States, herbal products are marketed

under the provisions of the Dietary Supplement and

Health Education Act of 1994, which prohibits their

sale for the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of

any disease. Enumeration of specific commercial

preparations within an herbal monograph should not

be construed as a claim or warranty of their efficacy

for any purpose, by either the manufacturer or the pub-

lisher. Furthermore, it should be understood that, just

as omission of a product does not signify rejection,

inclusion of a product does not imply endorsement,

and that the publisher is not advocating the use of any

product or substance described herein.

Please remember, too, that dosing of herbal prepara-

tions is highly dependent on a variety of factors, such

as cultivation and harvesting conditions, the specific

parts of the plant to be processed, the extraction meth-

ods employed, and the dosage form chosen by the

manufacturer. Since there are no official standards

governing the production of herbal medicines in the

United States, and the potency and the purity of herbal

products are subject to substantial variation, dosage

ranges set forth in the herbal monographs must be

employed only as general guidelines.

In addition, the publisher does not guarantee that

every possible hazard, adverse effect, contraindication,

precaution, or consequence of overdose is included in

the summaries presented here. The publisher has per-

formed no independent verification of the data report-

ed herein, and expressly disclaims responsibility for

any error, whether inherent in the underlying literature

or resulting from erroneous translation, transcription,

or typography.

When patients approach you—as they surely will—for

advice on the latest herbal "discovery" to hit the night-

ly news, we hope that PDR for Herbal Medicines will

provide you with all the facts you need to offer sound,

rational guidance firmly grounded in fact. Certainly

such counseling is the aim of every dedicated health

care professional. And at PDR, we fully share that

goal.