There is an increasing interest in the use of nutraceuticals and herbal remedies to treat illnesses. Many of these treatments have not been adequately studied to prove their safety and effectiveness.
Nevertheless, they have been used for thousands of years all over the world. The studies are not performed because drug trials are costly to conduct, and the large drug companies are not interested in paying the bill.
Drug companies want to spend their money to develop new, profitable medications. This is not surprising as these firms must make money to survive.
It follows that many physicians and other healthcare professionals do not feel comfortable recommending herbal remedies without robust data to support their use.
I must admit I used to be a skeptic until I started my own nutraceutical company and tried some of these herbal remedies. I have found the products work well with few if any side effects.
As a pharmacist, I am well aware that many medications are derived from plants. I have created a list of what I believe to be the best books currently available on this subject.
Table of Contents
- 1. Nutraceuticals: Efficacy, Safety and Toxicity by Ramesh C. Gupta
- 2. Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A to Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
- 3. Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and More by Tieraona Low Dog, M.D.
- 4. New Vitamin Bible by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
- 5. The Health Professional’s Guide to Dietary Supplements by Shawn M. Talbot, Kerry Highes
- 6. NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements for the Americas by Lyle MacWilliam
- 7. The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide by George Grossberg, M.D. and Barry Fox
- 8. The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook: Your Comprehensive Reference to the Best Herbs for Healing by James A. Duke, Ph.D.
- 9. The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide by Thomas Easley, Steven Horne
- 10. The Herbal Apothecary by JJ Pursell, Naturopathic Doctor, Certified Herbalist
This is a comprehensive text exploring the use of nutraceuticals in various disease states. This book has six sections.
Readers can find many aspects of nutraceuticals, including a discussion on common agents, prebiotics and probiotics, and toxicity and interactions with other medications. The final section discusses the regulatory issues of these products.
I recommend this book for anyone who needs a broad, scientific understanding of nutraceutical agents.
A comprehensive book for those interested in alternative medicine. Vitamins, supplements, and herbs are featured with an A to Z illness reference.
An excellent book for those who wish to use alternative treatments for common ailments.
Written by an integrative health physician, this is a good resource to help develop a supplement plan that is right for you.
Dr. Low explains each essential nutritional supplement and gives an expert opinion on how to use them based on age, lifestyle, and gender.
She also speaks about chemical imbalances caused by prescription drugs and how to remedy these.
This updated book covers many aspects of vitamins, supplements, nutraceuticals, and alternative therapies.
Dr. Mindell also discusses protein, fat, and antioxidants. Written by a pharmacist, this book covers vitamin needs for various groups, including students, smokers, drinkers, pregnant women, and many others.
There is also a section on supplements during specific illnesses. This is a comprehensive resource.
This book was published in 2007, but it still contains valuable information. The authors use scientific evidence to determine the usefulness of many supplements.
Safety and dosage of the supplements are provided along with references used to obtain the information. I am anxiously waiting for a new version of this book to be published.
Compiled from the 3rd through 5th editions of Nutrisearch’s comparative guides, this book was published in 2015.
Fifteen-hundred products from Canada, Columbia, Mexico, and the United States are evaluated, and current research is presented. The best product from each country is also unveiled.
Learn how your nutritional supplements compare with others on the market.
As a pharmacist, I am very concerned about drug-drug, drug-food, drug-disease as well as drug-supplement interactions.
Remember to always ask a physician or pharmacist before starting supplements.
This book is a useful resource if you are interested in the interactions between herbs and medications. It also explains the properties of various herbs and supplements.
Dr. Duke discusses the history, medicinal properties, dosages, and precautions of a vast number of Herbs.
James was a top botanist with the USDA and developed this database over many years. The prescription counterparts of the various herbal products are also presented.
This is one of my favorites on the list. I have this on my Kindle and reference it often.
If you are brave enough to try to make herbal medicines at home, this book is for you.
This full-color guide has instructions for making and using almost 250 herbal medicines. This book also covers suggestions for treating over a hundred illnesses.
I strongly recommend this inexpensive book for anyone interested in herbal medicine.
This is an excellent book for information about using herbal remedies to treat a variety of conditions.
Many conditions such as acne, insomnia, fatigue, stress, and many others are covered here.
The author is a naturopath as well as a certified herbalist and shares techniques for making various teas, tinctures, salves, and syrups.
