Tibetan Medicinal Plants or Introduction to Toxicology and Food

Tibetan Medicinal Plants

Author: Christa Kletter

The main part of this volume encompasses 60 monographs, each having a Tibetan plant name as its title. This collection provides a comprehensive overview of all plant types, thus making it easier for the reader to grasp the Tibetan concept. Each monograph consists of several chapters. These chapters address different topics related either to the Tibetan or the Western approach. Most of the monographs contain a description of the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the used plant parts, and anatomical features of 76 plants are provided. Each monograph contains a chapter in which an overview of the known chemical constituents and pharmacological properties of each plant is given as well as a chapter on their use in Tibetan medicine. In contrast to other publications on Tibetan medicine, where translations of the Tibetan terms are given in other languages, this book treats the Tibetan word as a technical term, keeps the Tibetan term and tries to explain its meaning. This treatment lessens confusion byreducing the number of translations with which the reader has to deal.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Michael Gabay, PharmD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy)
Description: This is an in-depth review of 59 plants used by practitioners of Tibetan medicine. The book is written from a scientific, but yet very Eastern medicinal, perspective. Highlights of the book include color illustrations of the various plants and a glossary of Tibetan medical terms. The glossary is very useful for understanding the purposes of these plants in treating or preventing diseases.
Purpose: The main purpose is to contribute to the existing knowledge of Tibetan medicinal plants and the preservation of traditional Tibetan medicine, through both traditional Tibetan and Western approaches to medicine. Since there is little published data available about Tibetan medicinal plants in such a format, I believe the objectives are worthy. The authors meet the objectives, but it seems to me that there is a tendency to accentuate the Tibetan medicinal approach throughout the book. The combination of both approaches is difficult to do as mentioned by the authors.
Audience: It is hard to pinpoint a specific audience for this book beyond those who work specifically with Tibetan medicinal plants in practice or researchers who may wish to know about the chemistry and pharmacology of these plants. The authors seem to be quite credible.
Features: The Tibetan medicinal herbs are covered in a monograph format. Sections within each monograph include plant classification, distribution, chemistry, pharmacology, and use in Tibetan medicine. The authors have obviously done a great deal of background research to find references for the information contained in the book. Most of the references would be unretrievable for most researchers, however. The information is very scientific and descriptions of the use in Tibetan medicine of the plants forces the Western medicine practitioner to consistently refer to the glossary for definitions of disease states. No mentions are made of interactions with prescription medications or possible safety concerns regarding use. Most of the Tibetan medicinal plants lack any solid clinical data for efficacy or safety.
Assessment: This book is needed. In general, very little information is available regarding Tibetan medicinal plants even in contemporary natural product books. The book does give researchers and practitioners basic scientific information about each plant and the basis for their use in Tibetan medicine, but does not relate well how these uses fit into Western medicine applications. For general healthcare practitioners, this book probably would not be that useful. Information is not applicable to most practice settings, is not patient-focused, and contains little to no efficacy and safety data regarding these plants. However, I don't believe these were specifically the goals of the authors.

Booknews

Tibetan doctors and Austrian researchers in botany and pharmacognosy report the findings of a study sparked to document plants used in Tibetan medicine. After reviewing Tibetan medicine and the habitats of Tibetan medicinal plants, they detail 60 plants or groups of plants with information on the Tibetan plant classification, botanical findings, plant material, description, distribution, ecology, taxonomy, variability, conservation. Then they consider the macroscopic and microscopic characters, chemistry, and pharmacology of the drug derived from the plant. Included are 77 pages of color plates, and a glossary of Tibetan medical terms. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

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Introduction to Toxicology and Food

Author: Tomris Altug

Introduction to Toxicology and Food provides a concise overview of both the science of toxicology and food toxicology. It presents easy-to-understand explanations of the concepts and principles of toxicology as a science, the toxicants found in foods, and naturally occurring antitoxic/anticarcinogenic substances in foods. It discusses a variety of toxicants, including natural toxicants, contaminants and food additives, their uses, harmful effects and safety aspects.

Booknews

Altug (food science, Ege University, Turkey) provides an overview of the science of toxicology in general, and food toxicology in particular in this book for undergraduate students in food toxicology and for food scientists. The book explains concepts and principles of toxicology, and examines toxicants found in foods, naturally occurring antitoxic/anticarcinogenic substances in foods, and the uses, harmful effects, and safety aspects of toxicants, contaminants, and food additives. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Table of Contents:

1	General Information on Toxicology	1
2	Definition of Toxicity and Classification of Toxins	7
3	Toxication	13
4	The Effect Mechanism of Toxins	23
5	Toxicity Tests	31
6	Natural Sources of Toxicants in Foods	39
7	Contaminants	53
8	Food Additives	81
9	Chemopreventers in the Diet	105
	References	127
	Index	137