National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs

For anyone who reaches for a bottle of herbal capsules and wonders what's really inside, here is an authoritative, beautiful, useful, and readable book highlighting the world's most important healing herbs and how they address ailments in all body systems, from brain to bones, sinus to stomach. Got a headache? Sip chamomile. Indigestion? Chew fresh ginger. Can't sleep? Sip catnip tea. From head to toe, with every body system in between, this book showcases the world's 72 most effective healing plants, describing their botany and medicinal uses, together with how-to advice and medical cautions. A group of four authors pool their expertise - botany, medicine, history, science - and, body system by body system, highlight which are the most effective herbal remedies currently available and how to use them. Many of them are plants you already know, and all are on sale as capsules, tablets, or tinctures at the pharmacy, supermarket, or health food store. From rosemary and gingko to Echinacea and astragalus, discover time-honoured healing practices and learn what science tells us about how they work. For the curious consumer, the herb and health food devotee and those seeking how-to advice backed up with scientific information about natural healing and herbal remedies.