The Complete German Commission E Monographs- Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines Description:

The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines review:
4 stars (Important work if one understands its place) - This is an important work, helping to document the validity of herbal medicine. However, it is not an all-encompassing work and obviously isn't referenced. Nevertheless, the German Commission E's method of publishing monographs based on the information gathered from companies, researchers, and practitioners (but apparently kept confidential) serves a useful purpose. It is always helpful to consult this text to get some solid conformation for common traditional uses. Every practitioner and researcher should have this book, though it certainly cannot be used in a vacuum.
2 stars (Huge Disappointment!) - I had hoped this book could be my benchmark for herbal information. What I found was a book that was hard to use with little useful information. ... Otherwise, Facts and Comparisions' Review of Natural Products is a better choice.
5 stars (The Most Solid and Dependable Work on the Market) - I have worked with herbs for many decades and have shelves and shelves full of works on Herbs and Healing. The German Commission E Monographs is still an often used Reference that in my oppinion belongs on everyone's shelf who works with Herbs. True, it does not cover all that the herbs are capable of and due to lack of proof, many wonderful herbs are not approved, BUT, and this is most important, whatever you find in this book is scientifically proven and you can believe it. I VERY strongly recomend this book, and the CD as well. Whenever you explore a new herb, or need to know facts, check it out in the Commission E Monographs. Then you have a very good outline from where you can start to work with, and together with other herbals get to know and experiment to arrive at your own conclusion. And that is not to mention the inclusion of interaction with other drugs, side effects, mode of administration, active composition for each monograph and different chapters that cover all that is important. A MUST for every practitioner and professional. A MUST for Everyone involved in healing, period. If you can only buy one book on herbs, I would recomend this one. Herbs are gentle and effective healers as a rule. That does not mean that when handeled and prescribed wrong they can't be fatal and dangerous as well. Due to a long time of suppression, there's much information that is doubtful at best, plain wrong and harmful at worst. So even if it's not always approving old favorites, and not mentioning all properties of all herbs, it is an amazing work. Non Nonsense and you can count on everything it says to be true. Five Stars? No way, but that's the maximum available. I would give it many more if I could. But YOU be the judge. Check it out for yourself in a store if in doubt. But don't let this work pass you without giving it a chance. It is truly a treassure.