From hetta@saunalahti.fi Mon May 3 19:51:41 1999 Path: news.nic.utwente.nl!news.cs.utwente.nl!newsfeed.amsterdam.nl.net!sun4nl!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!news.algonet.se!newsfeed1.telenordia.se!algonet!newsfeed1.funet.fi!news.cc.tut.fi!news.sci.fi!not-for-mail From: hetta@saunalahti.fi (Henriette Kress) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Medicinal herbFAQ (v.1.37b) Part 7/7 Followup-To: alt.folklore.herbs Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 19:55:59 GMT Organization: Yrtit ja yrttiterapiaa Lines: 1511 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: Mon, 31 May 1999 23:59:01 GMT Message-ID: <37391113.15884377@uutiset.saunalahti.fi> Reply-To: hetta@saunalahti.fi NNTP-Posting-Host: mmdcclxxxv.hdyn.saunalahti.fi Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Summary: What you have always wanted to know (and ask on a newsgroup)(more often than once a month) about medicinal herbs X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/16.451 Xref: news.nic.utwente.nl alt.folklore.herbs:72865 alt.answers:37144 news.answers:72567 Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part7 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 1999/03/27 Version: 1.37b URL: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/mediherb.html Available by ftp: metalab.unc.edu or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/ ========== 4 Good Printed Sources ----- Additions, opinions and missing details are welcome: drop me a note. ========== 4.1 Good Books on Herbs and Herbal Medicine Please also check Jonno's Herbal Bookworm page: http://www.teleport.com/~jonno and the Herbal Hall book page: http://www.herb.com/pub.htm . And let me know if I've left out -your- favorite book. Be aware, however, that books on Jonno's list of stinkers won't even be considered: http://www.teleport.com/~jonno/Readers%20Page.html#BARREL. The titles of "green" books are linked to [Amazon.com]. ----- 4.1.1 Good books to get started with Real basics * Lesley Bremness: The Complete Book of Herbs - a practical guide to growing and using herbs. 1988, Viking Studio Books, Penguin Books Ltd., London, UK. ISBN 0-670-81894-1, listprice USD 19.95. A good allround book for the beginner, it includes a variety of uses for some common herbs. Lots of clear plant and how-to color pictures. * Penelope Ody: The Complete Medicinal Herbal. 1993, Dorling Kindersley Publishing. ISBN 1-56458-187X, listprice 29.95. A very good allround book for the beginning herbalist. Lots of clear plant and how-to color pictures. * Penelope Ody: Home Herbal - a practical family guide to making herbal remedies for common ailments. 1995, Dorling Kindersley Publishing. ISBN 1-56458-863-7, listprice 19.95. A very good allround book for the beginning herbalist. Lots of clear plant and how-to color pictures. * Andrew Chevallier: The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants 1996, Dorling Kindersley Publishing. ISBN: 0-789410672, listprice USD 39.95. A very good allround book for the beginning herbalist. Lots of clear plant and how-to color pictures. * Christopher Hedley and Non Shaw: Herbal Remedies - A beginner's guide to making effective remedies in the kitchen. 1996, Parragon Book Service Ltd., Bristol, UK. ISBN 0-7525-0093-7, listprice GBP 7 or so. This one will go down thru the ages - it has roots. All recipes are tried and work, it's down to earth and well-written, and you'll get to know (and probably expand) your spice rack in ways you didn't expect when you bought your spices. Lots of clear plant and how-to color pictures. * John Lust: The Herb Book. 1974, Bantam Books, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 0-553-26770-1, listprice USD 7.50 Short notes on the medicinal use of a lot of herbs. Also tables you can look up things in. Some black-and-white plant drawings. * Susun Weed: Wise Woman Herbal - Healing Wise. 1989, Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, NY, USA. ISBN 0-9614620-2-7, listprice USD 11.95. In-depth information on seven very common herbs. Some black-and-white plant drawings. * Michael Tierra: The Way of Herbs, revised edition 1998, Pocket Books, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 0-671-02327-6, listprice USD 14.00. A beginner's herbal. No pictures. Michael Tierra is online at: http://www.planetherbs.com/ * Igor Vilevich Zevin: A Russian Herbal 1996, Healing Arts Press, Vermont, US, ISBN 0-89281-626-0, listprice USD 14.95. For a different view on how to use herbs (still beginner's level) get this book. Some black-and-white plant drawings. Often mentioned, but perhaps not really worth it: (I don't put any book here that I don't own. If you feel I'm wrong in my assessment of these books let me know why you disagree - my email address is hetta@saunalahti.fi.). * James A Duke: The Green Pharmacy. 1997, St. Martin's Paperbacks, NY, USA. ISBN 0-312-96648-2, listprice USD 6.99. A book written by a researcher, not by a practitioner, and it shows in some of the herbal recommendations. Don't trust it, get one of the books written by a practitioner instead. * James Green: The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook 1990, Simplers Botanical Co., Forestville, CA, USA. No ISBN, listprice USD 5.00 - for a 38 page booklet. If you have never made your own teas, oils or tinctures, you might want to buy this one. Or better, get one of the all-round herbals (like Lesley Bremness', or Penelope Ody's), which include instructions on how to make these preparations, and lots of other good information. * Varro Tyler. Read Jonno's review of Tyler's "Honest herbal" and "Herbs of choice" to see why Tyler's writings aren't respected by professional herbalists: http://www.teleport.com/~jonno/Tyler.html. If you want a good scientific book on herbs try these: Rudolf Fritz Weiss, MD: Herbal Medicine; Steven G. Ottariano: Medicinal Herbal Therapy; Heinz Schilcher: Phytotherapy in Paediatrics. (listed under section 4.1.3, "In-depth books, by organ system") * The Complete German Commission E Monographs - Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines This is a very expensive set of committee summaries (380 monographs, USD 189.00), translated from German. If you want to see what the monographs are like before shelling out all that much you get 100 of them far cheaper (USD 35.00) from this book: Heinz Schilcher: Phytotherapy in Paediatrics (listed under section 4.1.3, "In-depth books, by organ system") So you want to pick your own herbs? * Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. 1993, Red Crane Books, Santa Fe, NM, USA. ISBN 1-878610-31-7, listprice USD 19.95. The single best book on medicinal plants I have seen to date. * Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West. 1989, The Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM, USA. ISBN 0-89013-182-1, listprice USD 11.95. A good book on the medicinal uses of some southwestern herbs. * Michael Moore: Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. 1979, The Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM, USA. ISBN 0-89013-104-X, listprice USD 11.95. A good book on the medicinal uses of some southwestern herbs. Michael Moore's books on medicinal herbs are very good and fun to read, too. You're in for a treat if you haven't visited his homepage yet - he's got some good practitioner-level booklets online, free for downloading: http://chili.rt66.com/hrbmoore/HOMEPAGE * If you ever decide to do a book on medicinal uses of your local flora, go see how it is done in Michael's book 'Los Remedios - Traditional Herbal Remedies of the Southwest'. It's the only work in this genre (that I've seen) that includes a paragraph labelled "usefulness" with the usual traditional uses. * Janice Schofield: Discovering Wild Plants (Alaska, Western Canada, The Northwest). Alaska Northwest Books, Portland, OR, USA. ISBN 0-88240-369-9, listprice USD 34.95. A delightful book, it includes information on a lot of plants found up here in Finland, too. Great pictures, lots of tried and true recipes, sensible medicinal uses - you need this book if you live up north. Janice is online at http://www.alaska.net/~herbscho * Steven Foster + James A. Duke: A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants, Eastern/Central North America (Peterson Field Guide Series), revised edition. 1998, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, USA. ISBN 0-395-92066-3, listprice USD 18.00. This is a field guide. It really has very little in the way of text. (that's a comment to the 1990 edition. It could be the 1998 edition is distinctly better.) * Jim Pojar, Andrew MacKinnon (editors): Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. 1994, Lone Pine Publishing, Redmond, WA, USA. ISBN 1-55105-040-4, listprice 19.95. You'll find the most common plants of the PNW USA, including short paragraphs on usage. We need more fieldguides of this caliber. Your fourth or so book, and the one you'll keep on your easy-to-reach shelf for a very long time * Maud Grieve: A Modern Herbal, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (This is actually one single book, so you don't do much with only one volume) 1931, reprinted in 1971, Dover Publications Inc., NY, USA. ISBN 0-486-22798-7 (I), 0-486-22799-5 (II), listprice USD 9.95 each. A good all-round book; it has so much information on so many plants that it's not really outdated yet. 866 pages + index... It's on the WWW too, scanned and OCR'd in full by Ed Greenwood: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html Thorough but easy to understand descriptions of some plants and/or some organ systems * Paul Bergner: The Healing Power of Garlic 1995, Prima Publishing. ISBN 0-7615-0098-7, listprice USD 15.95. Paul Bergner: The Healing Power of Ginseng and the Tonic Herbs 1996, Prima Publishing. ISBN 0-7615-0472-9, listprice USD 14.95. Paul Bergner: The Healing Power of Echinacea, Goldenseal and other Immune system herbs 1997, Prima Publishing. ISBN 07615-0809-0, listprice USD 15.00. Paul Bergner: The Healing Power of Minerals, Special Nutrients, and Trace Elements 1997, Prima Publishing. ISBN 0-7615-1021-4, listprice USD 15.00. These are very good in-depth books on both the herbs and the organ systems involved. A must read! Paul Bergner is the editor of Medical Herbalism (see the professional level journal list, ch.4.3.2). He has a website at http://www.medherb.com. * Janice Schofield: Nettles. (A Keats good herb guide). Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. ISBN 0-87983-840-X, listprice USD 4.95. Despite the small format you'll get real in-depth information about that nicest of plants, the stinging nettle. I can personally vouch for Henriette's Potato Mush, with nettles of course. Excellent work! Janice is online at http://www.alaska.net/~herbscho . * Michael Moore: Herbs for the Urinary Tract. (A Keats good herb guide). Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. ISBN 0-87983-815-9, listprice USD 4.95. A short but thorough introduction to the urinary tract and what gets it out of and back into kilter. * Steven Foster's botanical booklets - instead of buying them from HerbalGram, get them free of charge from http://www.AllHerb.com/consumer/ - go for the ABC Botanical series. * Christopher Hobbs' booklets: Milk Thistle, the Liver Herb. 1993, ISBN 096147069, listprice USD 3.95 Valerian, the Relaxing and Sleep Herb, 1994, ISBN 0961847093, listprice USD 5.95 Vitex, the Women's Herb, 1997, ISBN 1884360076, listprice USD 5.95 Ginkgo, Elixir of Youth, 1994, ISBN 0961847034, listprice USD 7.95 Echinacea, the Immune Herb, 1995, ISBN 1884360033, listprice USD 7.95 The Ginsengs, a User's guide, 1996, ISBN 1884360068, listprice USD 7.95 Saw Palmetto, the Herb for Prostrate Health, 1998, ISBN 1883010462, listprice USD 9.95 St. John's Wort, the Mood Enhancing Herb, 1998, ISBN 1883010454, listprice USD 12.95 The Liver and Digestive Herbal, 1994, ISBN 0961847085, listprice USD 13.95 Medicinal Mushrooms, 1995, ISBN 1884360017, listprice USD 16.95 Accurate and balanced booklets. This search engine will yield articles by Hobbs, among others: http://www.healthy.net/Architext/AT-Completequery.html ----- 4.1.2 Specialty books: women's herbals, men's herbals etc. Let's get gender-specific: * Rosemary Gladstar: Herbal Healing for Women - simple home remedies for women of all ages. 1993, Fireside Books, Simon & Schuster, NY, USA. ISBN 0-671-76767-4, listprice USD 12.00 A very good book on herbs and women's health. Rosemary Gladstar's website is at http://www.sagemountain.com * Anne McIntyre: The Complete Women's Herbal - a manual of healing herbs and nutrition for personal well-being and family care 1994. Gaia Books Limited, London, UK. American edition 1995. ISBN 0-8050-3537-0, listprice USD 25.00. A very good book on herbs and women's health. * Amanda McQuade Crawford: The Herbal Menopause Book. 1996, Crossing Press. ISBN 0-895-94799-4, listprice USD 16.95. Get either this one or the one by Susun Weed: * Susun Weed: Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way. 1992, Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, NY. ISBN 9614620-4-3. * Susun Weed: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year. 1986, Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, NY. ISBN 0-9614620-0-0. * Susun Weed: Breast Cancer, Breast Health, the Wise Woman Way. 1997, Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, NY. ISBN 0-9614620-7-8. Susun has her own very wise way of looking at things. You buy one first, and then you go out of your way to get the others when you or somebody close to you needs them. * James Green: The Male Herbal: health care for men and boys 1991, Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, USA. ISBN 0-895-94458-8, listprice 14.95 USD. The only book about herbs for men that I've seen so far. If you want to get some knowledge about TCM, but keep your western herbalist bias: * Steven Foster + Yue Chongxi: Herbal Emissaries - bringing Chinese Herbs to the West. 1992, Healing Arts Press, Vermont, USA. ISBN 0-89281-349-0, listprice USD 16.95. Very thorough description of Chinese plants (with growing instructions) for us Westerners. (I LIKE books with more than 2 pages per plant. These guys use about 6 pages per...) ... or the other way around: * Michael Tierra: Planetary Herbology: An Integration of Western Herbs into the Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic Systems. Lotus Press, Santa Fe, NM, USA. ISBN 0-941524-27-2, listprice USD 17.95 ----- 4.1.3 In-depth books, by organ system * Simon Y. Mills: The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine. 1993, Arkana, Penguin Books, London, UK. First published under the title "Out of the Earth", by Viking Arkana 1991. ISBN 014-019309X. Listprice GBP 15.00, USD 16.95. Excellent in-depth information for the practitioner. * Daniel B. Mowrey: Herbal Tonic Therapies. 1993, Keats Publishing Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. ISBN 0-87983-565-6, listprice USD 14.95. Good information on the use of mild tonic herbs, organized by organ system. * David Hoffmann: The New Holistic Herbal 1991 (3rd edition), Element Books Ltd, UK. ISBN 1-85230-193-7, listprice 16.95 USD. - this one is also available in an updated version, with more color pictures: * David Hoffmann: The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal 1996, Element Books Ltd., UK. ISBN 1-85230-758-7, listprice 24.95. * David Hoffmann: An Elders' Herbal - Natural Techniques for Promoting Health and Vitality 1993, Healing Arts Press, Vermont. ISBN 0-89281-396-2, listprice USD 17.95. * David Hoffmann: The Herbal Handbook: A user's guide to medical herbalism. 1988, Healing Arts Press. ISBN 0-89281-275-3, listprice 12.95 USD. I don't think it really matters which of David's books you get - they seem quite similar, one and all. So go for the newest, or the cheapest, or the prettiest cover picture - but don't go out and buy them all. This search engine will yield articles by Hoffmann, among others: http://www.healthy.net/Architext/AT-Completequery.html . He's also made a good herbal CD-ROM. Review here: section 5.4. * Priest & Priest: Herbal Medication, A Clinical and Dispensary Handbook. 1982, L.N.Fowler & Co. Ltd., Essex, UK. ISBN 01-85243-368-9. Great notes for the herbal practitioner. So you're a mainstream medical professional with an interest in herbs? Try these: * Rudolf Fritz Weiss, MD: Herbal Medicine. 1988. AB Arcanum, Gothenburg, Sweden / Beaconsfield Publishers, Beaconsfield, UK. ISBN 0-906584-19-1. Expensive! Translated from the sixth German edition of Lehrbuch der Phytotherapie. Written by one of -the- experts on herbal medicine in Germany, it's a gem for practising herbalists and MDs interested in herbs. * Steven G. Ottariano: Medicinal Herbal Therapy. 1999, Nicolin Fields Publishing, Portsmouth, NH, USA. ISBN 0-9637077-6-0, listprice USD 14.95 A pretty good summary for the MD or pharmacist who wants to know more about herbs. * Heinz Schilcher, Prof. Dr.: Phytotherapy in Paediatrics - Handbook for Physicians and Pharmacists. 1997, medpharm Scientific Publishers, Stuttgart, Germany. ISBN 3-88763-026-2, USD 35.00. Translated from German, this includes 100 Comm. E monographs and 15 ESCOP monographs, in addition to short notes on the use of herbs in medical practice. It is, however, a translation from German, so the "Proprietary Products" parts list German preparates. ----- 4.1.4 Chinese herbs, or TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) * Dan Bensky, Andrew Amble, Ted Kaptchuk: Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 2nd. edition. 1993, Eastland Press, Inc., Seattle, WA. ISBN 0939616157. The standard Materia Medica for western-trained TCM practitioners. * Dan Bensky, Andall Barolet: Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas & Strategies, 1st. edition. 1990, Eastland Press, Inc., Seattle, WA. ISBN 0939616106. The companion Formulary. * Roger Wicke: TCHS vol. 1, The Language and Patterns of Life, USD 55 * Roger Wicke: TCHS vol. 2, Herbs, Strategies and Case Studies, USD 55 These are the two major textbooks for the Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute's Chinese herbology course. Description, table of contents and brief excerpts at: http://www.rmhiherbal.org/a/c.publ.rmhi.html While Roger, in these books, tries to integrate western physiological understanding of TCM theory where possible, the major focus is on using Chinese herbs according to the traditional TCM clinical rules (any other way simply doesn't work as well, as verified by clinical studies in several countries). >starting a course of acupuncture and Chinese herbology -- does anyone know any good books on this subject? * From healingpgs@aol.com (HealingPgs): Read Ted Kaptchuk's The Web That Has No Weaver. Most of the Seattle acupuncture schools use this as a first year text and it's a lovely, intelligent explanation of the basics of TCM. The herb book that is most popular with our local acupuncturists is Dagmar Ehling's Chinese Herbalist Handbook. It's laid out in a very user-friendly fashion. The big herbal reference works for most Western trained acupuncturists are the Eastland Press books by Dan Bensky -- they are probably available through your school bookstore. ========== 4.2 Good Books for further studies ----- So now you feel you've read enough books, but you're still glassy-eyed from reading the 'constituents' -part of the books (or the various ailment descriptions) - time to go shopping for some (literally) (pun intended) heavier stuff: If you're a practising herbalist: * Harvey Wickes Felter, John Uri Lloyd: King's American Dispensatory, in two volumes. 1898, 18th edition, 3rd revision. Reprinted 1993, Eclectic Institute, 14385 SE Lusted Rd., Sandy, OR 97055, USA. Phone 1-800-332-4372. No ISBN number. Listprice USD 225. This one lists everything they knew about plants (and chemicals used in medicine) back then, and does it exhaustively. It is REALLY good. If you're a pharmacognosist or pharmacist with an interest in herbs: * Norman Grainger Bisset (Ed.): Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals, A Handbook for Practice on a Scientific Basis. Translation of Max Wichtl (Ed.): Teedrogen (see next entry). 1994, CRC Press. Very expensive. This book has 181 monographs on European herbs with descriptions and photographs of the herbs, with lists of constituents, indications, side-effects, delivery system, method for authenticating the herb (usually a TLC), and the quantitative standards of the European pharmacaopeias where it is listed as official. Although it does not explain mode of action, this is a technical, and scientific book of excellent quality and a must for serious herbal students. It is also expensive as are all CRC books. (kathjokl@aol.com) * Max Wichtl (Hrsg.): Teedrogen, ein Handbuch fuer die Praxis auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage. 2., erweiterte, ueberarbeitete Auflage 1989, Wissensch.VG., Stuttgart, Germany. ISBN 3-8047-1009-3, listprice DEM 198. It's expensive in the original, too, but still a good reference for pharmacognosists and pharmacists. * Trease + Evans: Pharmacognosy, 13th edition. 1989, Bailliere Tindall, London. There is a great deal of chemistry involved in this book but again it is an excellent reference if this is the type of information you want. (kathjokl@aol.com) * Andrew Pengelly: The constituents of medicinal plants - an introduction to the chemistry & therapeutics of herbal medicine. 1996, Sunflower herbals, "Athlone", Dorset Rd., Muswellbrook NSW 2333, Australia. ISBN 0-646-28498-3. Listprice AUD 25.00. A short but concise introduction to the chemistry of herbs. Then you might want: * A basic chemistry textbook. * A good biochemistry textbook. * A good anatomy/physiology textbook (good to put you to sleep, too). * The Anatomy Coloring Book. * The Physiology Coloring Book. * The latest Merck Manual, which lists main illnesses plaguing mankind - not for us hypochondriacs. You might need a Medicinese - English dictionary to understand it. The Merck Manual (16th edition) is now on the web: http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/html/sectoc.htm ========== 4.3 Good Periodicals ----- Also check FTP metalab.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-references/literature/herb-journals . The Herbal Hall has a list of periodicals at the bottom of their publications page: http://www.herb.com/pub.htm . Robyn has a list of journals on her page, too: http://www.avicom.net/~rrr/ ----- 4.3.1 For beginners (emphasis on color pictures) * The Herb Companion Interweave Press, 201 E. 4th St., Dept. I-WC, Loveland, CO 80537. (800) 645-3675, FAX (970) 667-8317. http://www.healthy.net/othersites/hfh/hc.htm Bimonthly, ISSN 1040-581X, USD 24/year (foreign USD 31/year) (or order here for USD 21.95/year (US only): Enews: Herb Companion). Mainly herb gardening and culinary uses of herbs, but nowadays they also have a supplement on Herbs for Health, courtesy of the American Botanical Council and the Herb Research Foundation. * HerbalGram (Journal of the American Botanical Council and the Herb Research Foundation) American Botanical Council, P.O. Box 201660, Austin, TX 78720, (512) 331-8868, FAX (512) 331-1924. http://www.herbalgram.org, custserv@herbalgram.org Quarterly, ISSN 0899-5648, USD 25/yr. (Foreign USD 35/yr). Technical and scientific, ethnobotany, latest medical research. Sample articles here: http://www.AllHerb.com/consumer - go for HerbalGram. One BIG but: they push Varro Tyler something fierce. Just ignore that and you'll find it's a nice journal. (And no, don't buy any books by Varro Tyler. Go get the good stuff listed in good books above instead. And check this page: http://www.teleport.com/~jonno/Tyler.html ) * Herbs for Health. For a monthly dose of information from Interweave Press subscribe to this one - it's 6 issues per year, alternating months with the Herb Companion. Same address as above, phone (888) 844-3727, website: http://www.healthy.net/othersites/hfh/hfh.htm Bimonthly, USD 24/year (foreign USD 31/year) (or order here for USD 19.95/year (US only): Enews: Herbs For Health). Same caveat as HerbalGram on Tyler. * The American Herb Association Quarterly Newsletter P.O. Box 1673, Nevada City, CA 95959 USA. Subscriptions: USD 35/supporting, USD 20/regular membership per year. * North East Herb Association Newsletter. P.O. Box 146, Marshfield, VT 05658-0146 USA. Subscriptions: USD 30-USD 100/yr depending on what you can afford. * United Plant Savers (dedicated to replanting endangered and threatened medicinal plants), P.O. Box 420, East Barre, VT 05649 USA. USD 35 - USD 100 sliding scale. * The Herb Quarterly Long Mountain Press, 223 San Anselmo Ave, Suite 7, San Anselmo, CA 94960. (415) 455-9560, FAX (415) 455-9541. Quarterly, ISSN 0163-9900, USD 24/yr. (Foreign USD 29/year). 4.3.2 For professional herbalists (emphasis on case studies) These three lead the field: * The Modern Phytotherapist. MediHerb Pty Ltd., PO Box 713, Warwick, Qld. 4370, Australia. Excellent articles for the clinical herbalist. The webpage is at http://www.mediherb.com/. Two to three issues /year, ISSN 1322-2775, $40/yr or free of charge to customers of MediHerb. MediHerb has two other excellent publications for practitioners: the MediHerb Monitor (quarterly) and the MediHerb Professional Newsletter. * Medical Herbalism Bergner Communications, P.O.Box 20512, Boulder, CO 80308 Phone (303)-541-9552. Excellent articles for the clinical herbalist. The webpage is at: http://www.medherb.com Quarterly, USD 36/yr (Canada USD 39/yr, Foreign USD 45/yr). No credit cards. * The European Journal of Herbal Medicine. National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), 56 Longbrook Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6AH, UK, Europe. Phone + 01392 426022, fax + 01392 498963. Good Stuff on Herbal Medicine. 3 issues per year, GBP 19.50/year (UK), 24.50/year (EC), 29.50/year (overseas). They don't take Visa, but check or money-order is OK. These are secondary in importance to the practitioner: * The Protocol Journal of Botanical Medicine - [changed] 18Dec98 - this journal is no more. * Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism National Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA), Office Manager, P.O. Box 61, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia. Email: nhaa@nhaa.org.au , URL http://www.real.net.au/~nhaa/journal.html Quarterly. Full members (practitioners) $140/annual plus a $30 joining fee; Student members $45/annual plus a $10 joining fee; Companion members (companies & individuals with some aspect of medical herbalism) $60/annual plus $20 joining fee. * The Herbalist American Herbalist Guild, Box 746555 Arvada, CO 80006, USA. email ahg@earthlink.net, URL http://www.healthy.net/herbalists phone (303) 423-800 - Fax: (303) 423-8828. Professional USD 85 /year; Associate USD 50 /year; Student USD 35/year; Benefactor USD 500+. Please add USD 15 for foreign subscriptions. * The Eclectic Medical Journals P.O. Box 936, Sandy, OR 97055 USA. Subscriptions: USD 84/yr for 6 issues. Comment stolen from an article by Jonathan Treasure: '... the articles in The Eclectic Medical Journals, while giving a useful insight into the grass-roots of the Eclectic movement, hardly justify their annual cost of USD 84 subscription to the average practitioner.' 4.3.3 For universities (emphasis on scientific studies) * Planta Medica http://www.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/GA/plmedica.htm * Journal of Ethnopharmacology http://www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications/store/5/0/6/0/3/5/index.htt * Phytomedicine http://www.urbanfischer.de/journals/index.html * Fitoterapia http://www.indena.it/fitotrp.htm (new publisher 1999 (no URL for that, sorry); very expensive now) * Economic Botany http://www.econbot.org/publications.html * Phytotherapy research http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0951-418X/ And any other journals which consistently pop up when you do a medline or napralert search (see next section). They should be available at your local university. Subscription rates for these journals run into hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year, so they are rather out of reach for people, institutions and companies without a sizeable literature budget. ========== 5 Other sources ========== 5.1 Napralert - online commercial database ----- There's an introduction to NAPRALERT on this www page: http://info.cas.org/ONLINE/DBSS/napralertss.html ----- Mary Lou Quinn, Managing Director, NAPRALERT, states the difference between Medline and Napralert as follows: "NAPRALERT is and always has been restricted to world literature regarding natural products. Medline is not restricted. Just as one example, if you query NAPRALERT on the key word AMYGDALIN, you will get only that literature pertaining to the compound AMYGDALIN (otherwise known as LAETRILE). If you query Medline, not only will you get the above, but you will also get lots of articles dealing with the Amygdala of the brain, anatomy, physiology, etc. It has never been NAPRALERT'S goal to be all inclusive regarding medical science. However, if you want the most comprehensive database on Medicinal plants and Natural products, then NAPRALERT is the way to go." Quoted from the NAPRALERT information package: "Napralert (NAtural PRoducts ALERT) is a relational database of world literature on the chemical constituents and pharmacology of plant, microbial and animal (primarily marine) extracts. It's housed and maintained by the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, within the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, in the College of Pharmacy of the University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood Street (M/C 877), Chicago, IL 60612, U.S.A. Phone (312)-996-2246, Fax (312)-996-7107." And here is what it'll cost you: You can access Napralert by paying bulk rate (subscribing) or by paying per question. Annual subscription fee for individual user with no ties to government agencies, small or large businesses, research institutes or libraries: USD 100, of which half gets you manuals, a user ID/password, and limited disk storage space, and the other half gets you answers (at USD 0.75 per reference obtained). Per question rate: USD 25 + USD 0.75 per reference obtained. Off-line (snailmail rate): USD 25 + USD 0.75 per reference obtained. NAPRALERT is also available on-line through STN in the US, Europe and Asia. For more info and user ID application email quinn@pcog.pmmp.uic.edu (Mary Lou Quinn). ========== 5.2 Medline - online commercial database ----- You can get free Medline access from HealthGate: http://www.healthgate.com/HealthGate/home.html Compare it with this free Medline access site: http://www.healthy.net/library/search/medline.htm One has the niftier search engine, while the other will tell you right away if it was 'in vitro' or 'in vivo'. (Why is that important? Section 3.1.8 in part 5 of this FAQ has a nice introduction to the ins and outs of herbal research.) There is, of course, a caveat with depending on a (a bit skewed) database like Medline: you won't get much outside of the 'white' world; you won't get much outside of English language, you won't get much of the multitude of (occasionally very useful) far-out research. And it helps to add a keyword like 'herb' or 'plant' to your search. Medline is not made for herbalists, it's made for MDs. Live with it, but learn where to get hands-on information, as well. Like the practitioner-level journals I mention in the 'Good Periodicals' -part of this FAQ (section 4.3.2). ----- Comment by Mark D. Gold (mgold@holisticmed.com): "I find it (Medline) a very useful tool. But it is important to realize that there are several articles which warn about the "dangers" of herbs (particularly in JAMA) which are little more than inaccurate hatchet jobs." ========== 5.3 Demo or shareware herb programs ----- Go get these and choose for yourself. They're all on metalab (the old sunsite), too: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/programs.html * "Healing Powers of Herbs" by Klaus Hoferichter, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/health/: 795187 08Mar95 hph2.zip Graphical DOS interface - mouse essential. * Demo of the "Herbal Browser", by Marvel C. Stalcup, found at aol and compuserve: demoherb.exe (self-extracting file, size 248436). DOS - interface, mouse recommended but not essential. Really jiffy jumping function, easy to browse. * "Herbage for DOS" v.1.0, by Tim Johnson, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/health/: 205133 21Feb95 herbage1.zip. DOS - interface, no mouse needed. Nice 'export text' -function. * "Illustrated Medical Herbal Encyclopedia" - demo version, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/foods/: 226983 03Jan95 medherb1.zip DOS - interface, no mouse needed. * "Herb Power", v. 3.0, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/foods/: 1154836 30Aug95 herb3.zip DOS * "Herb Power", v. 2.1, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/foods/: 891931 12Mar95 herbp21.zip DOS * "Dr.Weed's E-herbal guide", v.3.0, found by ftp at oak.oakland.edu (or mirrors) in /pub/simtelnet/foods/: 198624 15Apr96 herbal30.zip DOS Here's a link to NaturBase, a rather nice program for WIN31: http://www.3dtx.com Or try The Herbal Pharmacy, a very nice program from Hale Enterprises and Brigitte Mars: http://www.halesoftware.com (see 5.4 below) Try a search for 'herb', 'plant' or 'botanical' on one of the larger shareware sites, like http://www.hotfiles.com/ (with ratings), http://www.shareware.com/ (with multiple download sites), http://www.softseek.com/ or http://www.download.com/ You might want to visit the Chiron homepage for more herbal software demos: http://www.chiron-h.com/software.htm Try this link for a 30-day demo of a nifty expandable database: http://www.DynamicArray.com.au ========== 5.4 Commercial Herbprograms ----- From Jim Bardon <73052.1606@CompuServe.COM>, 21 May 96, on Paracelsus: There are 2 "state-of-the-art" packages to investigate which--I believe--will prove much more depth in the long-run for you as your needs grow: * GlobalHerb (Windows or Mac) - $400 from Chris Blackburn at Global Healthfinders. Phone # 1-707-585-3677 (voice) or fax 1-707-585-3678. Snail-mail: Global Health Finders, 4332 Grace Court, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. Just call him and ask for literature and a free "demo disc". The demo disc--though not updated to show all the features of the newest "GlobalHerb" version, will still give you a taste of the real "power" in this program. No CD-ROM program I've seen can touch its WESTERN herb database. Note: Although it does contain SOME Chinese patent herbal formulas, they are few-and-far between. It is basically a 99% WESTERN approach to herbology. Very well done--search by symptom, dose, toxicity, etc. Get the demo disc and see for yourself. * Green Medicine Database (Windows or Mac) - $500 from Redwing Books. Phone: 1-800-873-3946 (Brookline, MA). Internet: redwing@oa.net. This is 100% oriented to CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS -- has very little in terms of Western herbology. But it's by far the easiest to use and most complete Chinese Herbal Formula software I've ever found. Redwing will sell you a demo disk for just $10 (Windows or Mac)--well worth the ten dollars to see what a serious "Chinese Herbal Software" program can do for your practice. It's written by Daniel Weber, a Chinese Herbalist who lives in Australia--of all places. I've found this program to be easier to use than the "Formulary" Chinese herbal program--although you might find it the other way around. So, just for the record, here's how to investigate the "Formulary"... * Formulary - just visit Dr. Christopher Jayne's "CHIRON" web home page -- he acts as a "clearing house" selling MANY different software packages for holistic practitioners and serious students. A definite "Must Visit" web site for anyone on the Paracelsus list! Here's the address: http://www.chiron-h.com/chiron.htm Or you can contact the "Formulary" producers directly: EAST WEST HEALING ARTS CENTER, Park Boulevard Professional Building, 4174 Park Blvd., 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-4346. (no demo disc, unfortunately) ----- From Paul Bergner 29Jun96: * Christopher Hobbs' Herbal Prescriber. Info: Botanica Press, 10226 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (408) 457 9095 - It comes on 5 diskettes, for Windows 3.1 only. About 36.95 USD. It's the best software yet on medical herbalism. It's thorough, clinically based, and inexpensive. It has therapeutic information from the Eclectic works, and also from German texts that have not been translated into English. Comment by HeK: the information certainly is reliable. However, the interface isn't all that good - there is no 'automatic' closing of the current window, so if you want to look at something else, and neglect to click the various 'ok' buttons, you get a 'beep' and nothing else. Frustrating. ----- CD-ROMs: ----- * The Herbalist, ver.2.0, by David L. Hoffmann, CD-Rom database, listprice USD 54.95, DOS, Windows31, Mac. Available from Hopkins Technology, 421 Hazel Lane, Hopkins, MN 55343-7116. Phone 612-931-9376 or 800-397-9211. More info found at http://www.hoptechno.com/herbmm.htm. "The Herbalist" was made before crosslinking really took off, but it has a nice index/search engine. It gives you fast access to thorough plant / ailment information. As a bonus there's pronounciations of some plant Latin - the British way ... (groan - good thing you can read the names as they speak, and there's a replay button). This program is excellent. * Traditional Chinese Medicine & Pharmacology. Hopkins Technology (as above). Listprice USD 54.95. More info found at http://www.hoptechno.com/cherbal.htm. Well worth the price, if you do have some basic knowledge about Traditional Chinese Medicine. I can't say how good it is if you really know your Chinese herbs, but for my knowledge of TCM (basic) it's perfect. * The Herbal Pharmacy, ver. 1.0 (upgrade to v.1.10 available on the web), by Brigitte Mars; CD-Rom database, listprice USD 49.95, Win95 or WinNT. Available from Hale Enterprises, 2507 North Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80304. Phone (303)-938-0840, fax (303) 938-0839. More info found at http://www.halesoftware.com "The Herbal Pharmacy" consists of a Materia medica (300 herbs) and a Formulary (100 formulas). It is extensively crosslinked, well organized, and includes a score of ways to search for information. There's goodies all over the program: for example, if you add your own notes these will be crosslinked, too. The information is quite reliable - Brigitte Mars has been a practitioner for 16 years. The publisher has made a demo version with 25 herbs and 20 formulas available on their website (see above). There are some missing parts (like no in-depth explanations about ailments, actions, or properties), but what with the online upgrades to registered users (the missing parts will be remedied asap), and the truly amazing way this information is organized, I think this is the best herbal materia medica / formulary program on the market. * The Interactive Herbal, with Dr. Terri Willard; CD-Rom database, published by The Follgard Group Inc. The CD is available on the web at http://www.cdromshop.com/cdshop/desc/p.779810113001.html At first glance "The Interactive Herbal" is a nicely done CD-Rom, with some multimedia and a medium-sized database. However, a closer look is disappointing: o The "Formulas" section (54 so-called formulas) is severely lacking (there are no amounts given), and not too homogenous (one aromatherapy entry, three homeopathy, 8 TCM, 9 vitamin/nutrient...) o The "Diet" section (57 regimens) compounds the frustration by telling you to use these formulas, in almost every single diet regimen. How can you, if you cannot make them? It made me wonder who the CD was made for, and what the purpose of it really is - to sell preparations? o The "Herb" section gives details on 141 herbs, including herbs both from the western tradition and from TCM; here you'll even find some working formulas. o The "Ailment" section gives thumbnail sketches of 124 ailments or disorders, outlines therapeutic approaches, and recommends herbs, vitamins/nutrients, and formulas. This is the most useful part of the CD. There is no search capability at all. Also, the index of herbs is by common name only, and if you cannot guess that you're out of luck. The Interactive Herbal needs extensive changes before it's as good as its introduction screen promises. * The Herbal Remedies CD-ROM, v.2.1, published by PhytoPharm Consulting GmbH, available on the web at http://www.phytonet.com/09_HerblRemed/ A German CD-ROM, seen from a phytopharmaceutical viewpoint. USD 99 / DEM 149. The database is divided into two main parts: o a Materia medica (which lists, in addition to basic plant information, latin name synonyms -and- variations - quite smart, that.) o a drug information sheet - instead of "Aesculus hippocastanum" we get "Hippocastani semen", with preparations, constituents, and indications. In addition to above, the "indications" search page needs mentioning. This contains five alphabetical lists of ailments, with links to above drug sheets. If you wish to see what "BfArM", "ICD10", "Homeopathic", "Asian" or "Other" (no "all" possible, sorry) recommends for, say, "migraine", you'll get a choice of drug information sheets for each. I have not been able to find an explanation for the terms "BfArM" or "ICD10" in the database. If you, once you've selected a drug sheet, click on ICD10, you'll be baffled with further unexplained remarks, like "170", or "N 41". These need to be explained somewhere as they are not self-evident (unless you're a German physician?). As a whole the program gives you excellent scientific and practitioner-oriented information, including sensible cautionary notes. MD's, ND's, and professional herbalists take note - this one is for you. ========== 6 Teachings ----- If you know of any good additions please let me know. Also check the Herbal Hall. Robbee's got a LOT of schools on: http://www.herb.com/school.htm. Or go for the Herbnet listing: http://www.herbnet.com/university.htm - but do read below comments first, otherwise you might end up taking a correspondence course at Clayton. From EProvence@aol.com (Eugenia Provence): Both the American Herb Association (AHA), PO Box 1673, Nevada City, CA 95959 and the American Herbalist Guild (AHG), http://www.healthy.net/herbalists, publish directories of schools and classes in the US. You will be sure to find one that appeals to your approach to herbalism, whether that's a folk or a scientific approach. ========== 6.1 Some hands-on schools I know of in the US ----- ND degrees: These schools give you -real- ND degrees, with the possibility to get a ND license in one of the licensing states. There are also fake ND schools - read about those under "Accreditation", section 6.6. * Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences, 2140 East Broadway Road, Tempe, Arizona 85282. Phone 602-858-9100, fax 602-858-9116. On the web at http://www.scnm.edu/ * Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr. NE Kenmore, WA 98028-4966, USA. Phone 425-823-1300, fax 425-823-6222. On the web at http://www.bastyr.edu/ * University of Bridgeport, College of Naturopathic Medicine, 60 Lafayette Street, Bridgeport, CT 06601, USA. Phone 203-576-4108. On the web at http://www.bridgeport.edu/Indexhtml/Naturopathy/naturo/index.html * National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 049 SW Porter, Portland, OR 97201, USA. On the web at http://www.ncnm.edu/ Other herbal hands-on schools: Full-time: * Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, Michael Moore, Bisbee, Arizona. Contact: hrbmoore@primenet.com, on the web at: http://chili.rt66.com/hrbmoore/HOMEPAGE. * The Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, PO Box 579, Hot Springs MT 59845 USA, phone 406-741-3811, email rmhi@rmhiherbal.org. On the web at http://www.rmhiherbal.org Chinese herbology. * The Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, P.O. Box 19254, Boulder, Colorado 80308-2254, USA. Phone (303) 442-6861, fax (303) 442-6294, email rmcbs@indra.com. On the web at http://www.herbschool.com/ * California School of Herbal Studies, 9309 HWY 116, Box 39, Forestville, CA 95436, USA. Phone (707) 887-7457, email cshs@cshs.com. On the web at http://www.cshs.com/index1.html * The National College of Phytotherapy, 3030 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105, USA. Phone 505-452-3468, email phyto@swcp.com. On the web at http://www.nmia.com/~arken/phyto/ Part-time: * Howie Brounstein, Columbines and Wizardry Herbs, Inc., Eugene, OR, USA. Contact: howieb@teleport.com, on the web at: http://www.teleport.com/~howieb/howie.html. A wildcrafting class. I don't know if these are full- or part time: * Pacific School of Herbal Medicine, Adam Seller, Oakland, California. Phone 510-845-4028. Classes range from a couple of hours (for beginners) through 650 hours (to become a professional herbalist). Adam also has clinical case studies for the practising herbalist. * Herbal Therapeutics, David Winston, PO Box 553, Broadway, NJ 08808, USA. Phone 908-835-0822, fax 908-835-0824, email: dwherbal@nac.net * Rosemary Gladstar has a seven-month apprenticeship program. Write her at Sage Mountain, PO Box 420, E. Barre, VT 05649; on the web at http://www.sagemountain.com * Desert Woman Botanicals, Monica Rude, Gila, New Mexico. Contact: desertwoman@gilanet.com or call 505-535-2860; on the web at: http://www.wnmc.net/~desertwoman/. Apprenticeships, some starting as early as February & running through November; others may be partial season. Apprentices will receive experience in all aspects of medicinal herb growing, harvesting, drying, marketing, shipping, use in products. Enthusiastic, hard working workers interested in herb growing should apply. * Susun Weed has an apprenticeship program. Write her at P.O. Box 64, Woodstock, N.Y. 12498. * 7Song, NorthEast School of Botanical Medicine, PO Box 6626, Ithaca, NY 14851. Phone 607-564-1023. On the web at http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~wolfe/NSBM/NSBMcur.html ========== 6.2 Some hands-on schools in Canada ----- ND degree: This school gives you a -real- ND degree, with the possibility to get a ND license in one of the licensing states. There are also fake ND schools - read about those under "Accreditation", section 6.6 * The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, 2300 Yonge Street, 18th Floor, Box 2431, Toronto, Ontario. M4P 1E4, Canada. Phone 416-486-8584. On the web at http://www.ccnm.edu Other herbal hands-on schools: * Dominion Herbal College, 7527 Kingsway Avenue, Burnaby, B.C. V3N3C1, Canada. Phone 604-521-5822, fax 604-526-1561, email herbal@uniserve.com . On the web at http://www.dominionherbal.com * Coastal Mountain College of Healing Arts, Inc., P. O. Box 12110, 555 W. Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 4N6, Canada. Phone 604-689-3854, fax 604-689-9804, email wcc@infoserve.net. On the web at http://www.infoserve.net/cmc.holistic.college/ * Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology, P.O. Box 2034, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3T2, phone (905) 575-1212 - this is phytotherapy, not herbalism, but then I'm a snob. On the web at http://www.mohawkc.on.ca/dept/cehs/phytotherapy.html * Wild Rose College of Natural Healing, #400, 1228 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4P9, Canada. Phone 403-270-0936, fax 403-283-0799, email coordinators@wrc.net. On the web at http://www.wrc.net/ The Canadian Association of Herbal Practitioners is developing an educational review committee to maintain certain standards for herbal practitioners. Please contact them at (403) 270-0891 if you have any questions regarding educational requirements. ========== 6.3 Some correspondence courses I know of in the US It's rather difficult to judge these from their ads. I've added "good" to those which I've only heard good things about. However, I'd really like a couple sample lessons from each herbal medicine correspondence course - that would make -real- reviews possible. Email me for details: hetta@saunalahti.fi. ----- * Rosemary Gladstar has a correspondence course. Write her at Sage Mountain, PO Box 420, E. Barre, VT 05649; on the web at http://www.sagemountain.com "good" * Cherie Capps runs the Center for Herbal Studies correspondence program: 541-484-6708. Her email address is herbs@ordata.com, on the web at http://www.ordata.com/~herbs "good" * The Australasian College of Herbal Studies, PO Box 57, Lake Oswego, OR 97034, USA. Phone 503-635-6652 or 800-48-STUDY, fax 503 636 0706, email australasiancollege@herbed.com. Based in New Zealand, this School has branched out into Oregon: http://www.herbed.com "good" * David Hoffmann, Therapeutic Herbalism. If you would like more information, his address is: 2068 Ludwig Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 707/544-7210. * Jeanne Rose has a correspondence course; her phone number is 415-564-6785. * Then there's the School of Natural Healing, founded by Dr. John R. Christopher, UT 1-800-372-8255. They have an Herbalist course and a Master Herbalist course, among others. On the web at http://schoolofnaturalhealing.com * Michael Tierra, The East-West Herb Course, on the web at http://www.planetherbs.com/ , or call 408-336-5010. This is TCM, not western herbalism. ========== 6.4 Some schools and correspondence courses elsewhere ----- * School of Phytotherapy, Bucksteep Manor, Bodle Street Green, Nr. Hailsham, E Sussex BN27 4 RJ, UK. Phone (0)1323 833812, fax (0)1323 833869, email medherb@pavilion.co.uk They have hands-on and correspondence courses (which require hands-on time too). Expensive. * The School of Natural Health Sciences, Berkley Square, London, UK. On the web at http://www.trinityuni.org/snhs/herbal.htm * The Waikato Centre for Herbal Studies (in New Zealand), run by Isla Burgess. The Correspondence course uses some of the modules form the Australian College of Phytotherapy. Email waikherb@hn.pl.net ========== 6.5 About correspondence schools, and licensing of herbalists ----- From: tim@thorne.thorne.com (Tim Birdsall, ND) I have absolutely no quarrel with distance learning. However there is a substantive difference between getting an MBA by home study and getting a health care degree! How can you learn physical diagnosis without someone standing over your shoulder saying "No, the spleen is here." or "Yes, this person's liver feels enlarged." To the best of my knowledge, no other health care profession has any legitimate degrees offered exclusively via home study. ========== 6.6 Accreditation of herbalists and NDs in the US ----- From: Paul Bergner Subject: Clayton School Someone recently posted that the Clayton School had obtained "accreditation". By what body, may I ask? Is it something recognized by the Department of Education, or is it some form of gratuitous self-accreditation? The test of legitimacy is whether students are eligible for government student loans. ----- The accrediting agency for naturopathic schools is the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), POB 11426, Eugene OR, 97440. Phone 541-484-6028, email dir@cnme.org. On the web at http://www.cnme.org The CNME is accredited by the US Department of Education and is the only recognized licensing agency for naturopathic medical schools in the US. States in which you can get licensed as an ND: If you're an ND who has graduated from one of the eligible ND schools you can get licensed in these states: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Utah. after passing the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Exam (NPLEx). There are additional recognized ND licenses in Florida. No new licenses are being granted there, however. British Columbia and Ontaria currently license NDs who pass licensing exams and who have graduated from any of the legitimate naturopathic medical schools with an ND. Other resources: Federation of Naturopathic Medical Licensing Boards, Inc., 5002 W Glendale Ave, Ste 101, Glendale, AZ 85301, USA, phone 602-937-4756. American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), 2366 Eastlake Ave E, Ste 322, Seattle, WA 98102, USA, phone 206-328-8510. On the web at: http://www.naturopathic.org/ ========== 7 Check these sites: ----- Among the goodies you'll find herbal mailing list and newsgroup archives, Michael Moore's files, and some nice WWW pages. ========== 7.1 FTP sites with info on medicinal herbs: MetaLab Herb archives ----- Try this: ftp metalab.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/ or ftp sunSITE.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/. More here: ftp metalab.unc.edu /pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening/ or here: ftp sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening/. Still more: ftp metalab.unc.edu /pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening-faqs/ or ftp sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening-faqs/ And you'll find a wealth of herbal information here - unfortunately not very well organized, but if you do have the time to browse you'll find it is a treasuretrove: ftp metalab.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-references/ or ftp sunSITE.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-references/ ========== 7.2 Interesting WWW pages ----- I'll only list the most important herbal WWW pages here. You'll find the rest of the good sites from links on Howie's and my pages. And you should use a search engine to look for information on specific plants. * Michael Moore's homepage: http://chili.rt66.com/hrbmoore/HOMEPAGE, the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. Have a good look at all the goodies; if you are not a beginner, get the big textfiles - Herbal Materia Medica, Herbal Repertory, Herbal/Medical Dictionary, Herbal-Medical Contraindications, Specific Indications, Herbal Tinctures, Herbal Energetics, Plant Folders, Classic Texts, and anything else that might have been added. There's also a -lot- of pictures on site. _Do_ download the Herbal Energetics - these are summaries of how to prepare and use plants you already know in ways you already know (even though you didn't necessarily know that you can use THAT plant in THIS way before reading the booklet). * Howie Brounstein's homepage: http://www.teleport.com/~howieb/howie.html Columbine and Wizardry Herbs, wildcrafting school and herb catalog. Go get a laugh at the Fad herbs, or read up on smoking herbs, or mugwort. Have fun. * Jonathan Treasure's Herbal Bookworm page: http://www.teleport.com/~jonno/ All you need to know about herb books: excellent in-depth reviews, a list of must-read books, a list of stinkers, and a Reality Check. * The Health World Online site. Try their search engine at http://www.healthy.net/Architext/AT-Completequery.html, or go for their Herbal Information center: http://www.healthy.net/clinic/therapy/herbal/herbic/index.html. This is an extensive site, with lots of articles by David Hoffman and Christopher Hobbs, among others. * The Herbal Hall, Rob Bidleman: http://www.herb.com/herbal.htm The home of the professional herbalists' discussion group, it's got loads of goodies. I like that 'novice.htm' -page, a lot ;-) - but you'll also find surprising treasures in the more commercial parts of the site, particularly if you're interested in adaptogens. * Henriette's Herbal Homepage: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/ Home of the herbfaqs (you're reading part of one right now), you'll also find lots of herb pictures, mailing list and newsgroup archives, neat stuff, a database, herbal programs, links - it's an extensive site. (Me? Biased? Naah.) ========== 7.3 Herbal online discussions on the WWW Any I left out? Drop me a line, and I'll add them. ----- A high-quality medicinal herb discussion site is: * Michael Tierra's PlanetHerbs Online Forum - http://www.planetherbs.com/forum/goforum.html One of the oldest (and very high-volume) herbal chat pages is: * Algy's Herb Talk - http://www.algy.com/herb/index.html. Topics discussed include gardening of herbs, culinary and medicinal uses. A nice and lively page: * The Ethnobotany Cafe Bulletin Board at http://countrylife.net/ethnobotany/main.html ========== 8 Mailing lists Mailing lists have a distinct advantage over the online WWW chat pages: you don't have to be online. Just pull down your email from the server, and read and reply at leisure. It's lots cheaper for those of us who pay phone and/or ISP by the minute (this includes most Europeans). ----- In addition to the lists mentioned here there's Herbal Hall, a low-volume, high-quality list for professional herbalists, but that's by invitation only. Any other lists you think should be here? Any changes in the lists listed? ========== 8.1 The Herblist, the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants discussion list ----- (This list changed address 08.98 - it's the former trearn -list. Alive and well. 12.98.) A high-volume list for discussions about herbal medicine and medicinal herbs To subscribe: write to majordomo@MyList.net with the following text: subscribe herb Be sure to read the Rules of the Game before posting there: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/archives/herblist/rules.html Archives found on my www pages / in my ftp space: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/ ========== 8.2 The Aromatherapy lists ---- (alive and well. 10.98. To quote: "A very enjoyable if chatty bunch") I don't do any of these, so comments are welcome: To subscribe, write to list@idma.com with the following text join aromatherapy ========== 8.3 The Kombucha list ----- (alive and well. 10.98) To subscribe: write to kombucha-request@mLists.net text: subscribe ========== 8.4 The Paracelsus Mailing list ----- (alive and well. 12.98) Subscription is limited to practitioners, educators, researchers and students in alternative and conventional medical fields. Website here: http://www.HealthWWWeb.com/paracel.html To subscribe: visit this site: http://lyris1.telelists.com/htbin/lyris.pl?enter=paracelsus and follow the instructions, or send a blank message to: join-paracelsus@telelists.com As part of the subscription approval process, send a biographical note indicating training, practice and interests to the list at paracelsus@telelists.com . ========== 8.5 The Homeopathy List ----- (alive and well - lots of traffic, I'm told. 10.98) To subscribe: write to homeopathy-request@lyghtforce.com with the text: join homeopathy The archives for this list and a FAQ on homeopathy are kept on http://www.homeopathyhome.com/web/descriptions/homlist.html ========== 8.6 The Phytopharmacognosy List ----- (rather dormant. 12.98) Membership to the phyopharmacognosy discussion group is limited to academics, industrialist, healthcare practitioners and others who have -expertise- in medicinal plants. To subscribe: write to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk Subject: (leave blank) Text: join phytopharmacognosy First-name Last-Name The list is moderated. Here's a WWW page for this list: http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/pharm/ ========== 8.7 The Culinary Herblist ----- (alive and well. 12.98) This is the list for the gardening and use of culinary herbs: To subscribe: write to: HERBS-L-request@orednet.org with the text: subscribe Archives found on my www pages / in my ftp space: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/ Quite dormant, especially in the winter months (Northern hemisphere). ========== 8.8 The HerbInfo -list ----- (alive and well. 12.98) Yet another medicinal herblist, not quite as high-volume as the herblist (see 8.1). To subscribe use the online form available here: http://www.alist4u.net/herbinfo.html Archives found on my www pages / in my ftp space: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/ ========== 8.9 The Wellpet -list ----- (alive and well. 10.98) A list for an holistic approach to animal health. To subscribe: write to: majordomo@listservice.net with the text: subscribe wellpet Leave the subject line blank. I'm told this list has a lot of homeopathy and not too much on herbs. FAQ found here: http://www.ListService.net/wellpet/wpfaq.htm Archives found here: http://www.listservice.net/wellpet/wellpet-digest-archives/ ========== 8.10 The Holisticat -list ----- (alive and well. 10.98) A list for the use of nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture etc. as it relates to cats. To subscribe: write to: majordomo@mylist.net with the text: subscribe holisticat OR subscribe holisticat-digest Leave the subject line blank. ========== 8.11 The Natural Health & Beauty - List ----- A list for all aspects of natural and herbal cosmetics and remedies and sharing of recipes; traffic is light to medium. To subscribe: write to: majordomo@mailinglist.net with the text: subscribe natural Leave the subject line blank. A faq for the list exists at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/3893 - very nice, too! ========== 8.12 The Apothecary - List ----- (alive and well. 12.98) A chatty list for preparing oils, ointments and suchlike (I dropped out after only two days - would somebody please let me know if that aspect of this list changes?). To subscribe: write to: apothecary-request@kjsl.com with the text: subscribe ========== 8.13 The Ayurveda - List ----- A mailing list providing information about ayurveda, such as lectures, workshops, and stores that sell ayurvedic herbs. To subscribe: send an E-mail message requesting a subscription to ayurveda-request@netcom.com ========== 8.14 The Toiletries - List ----- A list for various aspects of making your own lotions, cremes, soaps, personal care products, and related subjects. To subscribe: write to: majordomo@ListService.net with the text: subscribe toiletries A faq for the list exists at http://www.mindspring.com/~earthscents/faq.htm; a library is found here: http://www.mindspring.com/~earthscents/recipes.htm ========== 8.15 The HerbMail - List ----- (Alive and well. 12.98.) A list for herbal medicine, sort of a screening list for herbalists not yet professional enough to be invited to herbal hall. To subscribe: write to herbmail@herb.com with the text subscribe in your -subject- field. Leave the text field blank. The protocol for the list can be found at http://herb.com/protocol.html ========== 8.16 The Aboutherbs -list ----- (alive and well. 10.98) A -chatty- list (let me know if that aspect of this list changes, okay?), focused more on growing and preserving herbs. Animal health and natural beauty are ontopic, as is herbs for health. You need to register with onelist.com to be able to subscribe: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/aboutherbs ========== 9 Related newsgroups ----- You might want too check * alt.folklore.herbs (archives found on my www pages / in my ftp space: http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed/) * misc.health.alternative * rec.gardens * rec.gardens.edible * rec.food.preserving * bionet.plants * sci.med.* * alt.healing.flower-essence * alt.support.cancer.prostate * alt.support.sinusitis * alt.support.prostate.prostatitis * alt.support.* * alt.aromatherapy (comes complete with the usual complaint: 'my site doesn't carry this one' - well mine doesn't so I can't say what they talk about over there) ========== THE END. ========== -- hetta@saunalahti.fi Helsinki, Finland http://metalab.unc.edu/herbmed -+- olde Eclectic tomes added Mar99 -+- Medicinal and Culinary herbFAQs, jpegs, database, neat stuff, archives...