PDR for Herbal Medicines

PDR FOR HERBAL MEDICINES

Approved uses are presented in list fashion. Other uses

are described with provisos as necessary regarding

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.

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 published 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 evi-

dence and cannot be considered firm or final. The pub-

lisher does not warrant that any herb will unfailingly

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 publish-

er. Furthermore, it should be understood that, just as

omission of a product does not signify rejection, inclu-

sion 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 man-

ufacturer. Since there are no official standards govern-

ing the production of herbal medicines in the United

States, and the potency and the purity of herbal prod-

ucts 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, pre-

caution, or consequence of overdose is included in the

summaries presented here. The publisher has per-

formed no independent verification of the data reported

herein, and expressly disclaims responsibility for any

error, whether inherent in the underlying literature or

resulting from erroneous translation, transcription, or

typography.