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Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons Kindle Edition

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

Plants have been used to treat disease throughout human history. On a clay slab that dates back approximately five thousand years, the Sumerians recorded medicinal recipes that made use of hundreds of plants, including poppy, henbane, and mandrake. During the Middle Ages, monks commonly grew and prescribed plants such as sage, anise, and mint in their monasteries. And as the market for herbal remedies and natural medicine grows, we continue to search the globe for plants and plant compounds to combat our various ailments.
           
In
Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers a richly illustrated, scientific guide to medicinal and poisonous plants, including those used for their mind-altering effects. Van Wyk covers approximately 350 species—from Aloe vera and Ephedra sinica to Cannabis sativa and Coffea arabica—detailing their botanical, geographical, pharmacological, and toxicological data as well as the chemical structures of the active compounds in each. Readers learn, for example, that Acacia senegal, or gum acacia, is used primarily in Sudan and Ethiopia as a topical ointment to protect the skin and mucosa from bacterial and fungal infections, and that Aconitum napellus, more commonly known as aconite, is used in cough syrups but can be psychedelic when smoked or absorbed through the skin. 
               
With 350 full-color photographs featuring the plants and some of their derivative products,
Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons will be an invaluable reference not only for those in the health care field but also for those growing their own medicinal herb gardens, as well as anyone who needs a quick answer to whether a plant is a panacea or a poison.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons can be used as a guide for the novice herbalist, the seasoned botanist, or anyone with an interest in learning about how plants can heal (or kill). . . . The book is easy to navigate with hundreds of color photographs and chapters divided by poisonous plants, healing plants, mind-altering plants, and more."

Gardenista

"Phytomedicines is beautifully illustrated, with an accessible reference section, and it fulfills the authors’ pledge to provide a general reference book for pharmacists and lay public alike. . . .  [A] welcome addition to any budding botanist’s bookshelf, and a potent reminder of our complex relationship with plants." -- Shaoni Bhattacharya ― New Scientist

About the Author

Michael Wink is professor of pharmaceutical biology and director at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biology at Heidelberg University, Germany. He is an authority on secondary metabolites of plants and their pharmacological properties.

Ben-Erik van Wyk is professor of botany at the University of Johannesburg and the author of several best-selling books on plants and plant use.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0159Y7WEI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (June 22, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 22, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 73.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 1225 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

About the author

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Ben-Erik Van Wyk
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I am a professor of botany at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, with research interests in plant classification, medicinal plants and ethnobotany. My main job is to publish the latest botanical discoveries of our research group in scientific journals. My after-hours hobby, however, is to take photographs of plants and to write colourful botanical books - each representing the end result of a personal journey of discovery that I wish to share with fellow plant enthusiasts. The aim is to provide a conceptualization of the subject and a scientifically accurate summary of the most important facts, presented in a practical, colourful and user-friendly way.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2021
    Love this book. Has about everything, pictures, chemical compounds, discriptions and effects on the human body.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2015
    Every time I hear that Ben-Erik van Wyk has written a new book I immediately find and purchase that book. I own every book he's written and refer to them constantly. Van Wyk composes some of the most interesting, relevant and well crafted plant / ethnobotany publications available today. Read every book that this man has written and you are guaranteed a more meaningful and dynamic daily existence. No history is as important as the history of human relationships with plants.
    16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Nicola W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Super interesting.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2018
    An expensive book, but well worth it. I have constantly referred to this not only for my degree, but on seeking out why certain plants are used in over the counter medications and cosmetics. Super interesting.
  • benita
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully presented. A lovely book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2015
    Beautifully presented. A lovely book. A friend immediately bought one. Unfortunately amazon diddled her out of the free packaging promised but she still thinks it was worth it. Very well organised. The only thing more I would have liked was recipes!!!!
  • David Getling
    5.0 out of 5 stars I was pleased to see all the chemical structures in this book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2015
    As someone with a chemistry degree, I was pleased to see all the chemical structures in this book. There's a good selection of well illustrated plants, with details of how they do their stuff: chemicals involved, what part of the plant, and dose.

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