Phytotherapy or herbal medicine is the most important therapy within Chinese medicine and is being used increasingly in the West. A Materia Medica for Chinese Medicine: plants, minerals and animal products describes 400 of the most important plants, minerals and animal substances used as treatments by Chinese medical practitioners. The items included have been selected according to their degree of clinical relevance. Each remedy is clearly described and illustrated on two facing pages, making this an easily accessible reference for both students and practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine. The clearly laid out text presents the following details for each herb or substance included: a detailed description of the characteristic features indictions for safe use medicinal and toxic effects possible combinations with other substances full-colour illustrations, generally two for each substance, showing the detailed characterisitcs of the item described A Materia Medica for Chinese Medicine has been written by two medically trained doctors who have worked as TCM therapists specializing in the use of Chinese herbs for more than 30 years. Based on their many years of teaching and practice, the book has been carefully compiled and designed to provide a concise and accurate practice-based reference for both students and practitioners.

Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas: New Century Traditional Chinese Medicine presents specific knowledge about the source, medicinal nature, action and application of more than 800 commonly-used Chinese materia medica, as well as the efficacy and application of more than 740 kinds of commonly-used Chinese medical formulas. Notably, all of the content is presented in table form, making the information easier to access, understand and apply. Each primary herbal medicine is introduced with color pictures, and each primary formula is presented with efficacy analysis pictures. The book provides readers with essential information on Chinese materia medica and formulas and how to use them accurately, including the most common Chinese materia medica used in clinics and in commonly used clinical formulas. This is an essential reference for traditional medical professionals and those interested in traditional Chinese medicine, including advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. Includes over 800 Chinese materia medica and 740 medical formulas with their essential information Combines 514 color pictures of medicine material crude slices and 255 formulary efficacy analysis pictures Organized with concise forms, facilitating understanding and memorization

This Materia Medica and Herbal Reference has been organized and developed to make Chinese herbology accessible to the Western reader or practitioner. The book also includes extensive use of Chinese herbal formulae and specific treatment of disease conditions. There are a number of useful index listings including Latin name, Chinese name, Chinese herbal formulae and a general index.

One of the cornerstones of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), herbal medicine has evolved over centuries of clinical practice and empirical results into a vast body of knowledge encompassing more than 6,000 substances, most of whose effects and uses have been documented and researched. The literature on Chinese medicinal herbs is unparalleled and unsurpassed in the world's medical knowledge; the earliest known pharmacological work was composed before the end of the third century B.C. The first classical Chinese materia medica appeared during the late Han dynasty (25-22- A.D.) and included 365 entries of botanical, zoological, and mineral substances, listing their properties and effects. Subsequent materia medica were assembled during virtually every dynasty from the Liang (456-536 A.D.) to the Qing (1645-1911). Among the major treatments published during these centuries was the 30-volume Materia Medica Arranged According to Pattern, which had 1558 entries, more than 3,000 formulae, and became the official pharmacopoeia of herbal medicine in China for 500 years. n Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica brings to the English language a lavishly illustrated atlas of the 320 herbs used most frequently in traditional Chinese medical practice. Each substance is profiled authoritatively in monographs that provide pharmaceutical, botanical and English names; flavor properties and channel tropisms; functions; clinical uses and major combinations; dosage and administration; and precautions. Intended for medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists as well as practitioners of homeopathic and alternative medicines, this materia medica offers a unique blend of authenticity that is derived from knowledge of classical Chinese literature with a clearly practical objective of persenting valuable information in a straightforward, easily comprehensible style.

Summary: "Presents the fundamental concepts and materials of traditional Chinese medicine organized in a way that supports learning and teaching according to traditional principles. Each category is placed in the context of traditional theory and practice begining with a discussion of relevant pathologies (including the correct description of traditional diseases) and therapeutic principles used to address them" -- from the review.

This first volume describes 78 species of medicinal plants in 44 families, in which 7 families and 13 species are algae and fungi, 28 families and 52 species are ferns, 9 families and 13 species are gymnosperms. The algae include Laminaria japonica, Sargassum fusiforme, Ulva lactucam, Uiva pertusa et al.; the fungi include Calvatia lilacina, Calvatia lilacina, Cordyceps sobolifera, et al.; the gymnosperms include Ginkgo biloba, Pinus massoniana, Thuja orientalis, Ephedra sinica, Ephedra intermedia, Ephedra equisetina, et al. In each specie, it introduces the scientific names, herbal medicine names, characteristics, habitats, distributions, Acquisition and processing methods, medicinal traits, tastes, functions, use and dosages, and other information of medicinal plants. The color pictures of all species in their wild forms are presented, along with some pictures of medicinal products made of them. This book series has totally 10 volumes, which covers 2000 kinds of Chinese medicines that are commonly seen or used. These volumes not only introduce the efficacy function and some prescriptions of the medicines, but also introduce the biological characteristics of them in detail with clear photos of the habitats, so that readers can identify them in the field. Apart from the growing environment, the books expound the distribution areas and other information to facilitate researches and other applications. The volumes are targeted at readers of general interests and it is also of high referential value for scientific researcher and teachers. It can be used as a guide to researchers, clinical doctors, and students in the department of pharmaceutics and traditional Chinese medicine.