Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Takes the mystery out of miracle cures. Explores the medical practices of non-Western cultures to establish a scientific basis for the successes of folk remedies. Explains why Western medical researchers are increasingly turning their attention to folk medicine for new drugs. Brings together work from many countries and a variety of cultures.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Aztec Sources of Some Mexican Folk Medicine
• Zuni Indian Medicine: Folklore or Pharmacology, Science or Sorcery?
• Ayurveda: The Traditional Medicine of India
• Fijian Medicinal Plants
• Medicinal Plants of Papua New Guinea
• Australian Medicinal Plants
• Plants Used in African Traditional Medicine
• Antithrombotic Agent of Garlic: A Lesson from 5000 Years of Folk Medicine
• Scientific Basis of the Therapeutic Effects of Ginseng
• Anticancer Chinese Drugs: Structure-Activity Relationships
• Some Recent Biological Characterizations of Chinese Herbal Preparations
• Bioactive Compounds from Three Chinese Medicinal Plants
• Zingiberaceious Plants
• Alkaloid Components of Zizyphus Plants

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This book, made up of 14 chapters written by different scientists, is distinctive in that it discusses folk medicine mainly from the chemical point of view. The text is supplemented by charts and tables illustrating the chemical structure of plants as well as by drawings and photographs. To the nonchemist, the chapters vary in interest and readability. Among the most enjoyable is one on India's traditional medicine, showing the value of common sense in fighting the common cold; in another chapter there is discussion of the medicinal virtues of garlic, which was used by athletes in ancient Greece as a stimulant, by traditional Indian doctors as an antiseptic, and by French practitioners to cure horses suffering from blood clots in the legs. Modern clinical studies have demonstrated that garlic is a vasodilator and also inhibits platelet aggregation; in other words, chemical analysis often confirms and explains the efficacy of folk remedies. Each chapter has extensive up-to-date references. This reviewer's main criticism is that the rather skimpy preface does not provide a focus to tie these chapters together. Recommended for those interested in the scientific rather than the sociological aspects of folk medicine. Level: advanced undergraduate and graduate.-N. Kupferberg, Brooklyn College, CUNY