The Herbal Internet Companion Herbs and Herbal Medicine Online

A comprehensive guide to using the Internet for research into all aspects of herbal medicine!This valuable and timely book will help you navigate the sea of information about herbs and herbal remedies on the Internet. In recent years, alternative medicine has come to the forefront of American culture. As editor David J. Owen points out, “It sometimes seems that not a day goes by without the appearance of another newspaper article or television news item about St. Johns wort or Ginkgo biloba. Once confined largely to health food stores, herbal preparations are now prominently displayed on the shelves of modern pharmacies and can be readily purchased via the Internet. They are now widely used to treat a variety of conditions, from depression to sexual dysfunction.” Today, a great deal of the most reliable information about herbal medicine is available only in scattered sources like trade journals, pamphlets, conference proceedings, and market research reports. Many of these are available online if you know how to find them. The Herbal Internet Companion: Herbs and Herbal Medicine Online will show you how to find the information you need! This book groups the Web sites and other Internet sources it lists based on the type of information youll find there, providing you with ways to quickly access information about: criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the Internet consumer/patient needs and frequently asked questions mailing lists, chat rooms, and newsgroups providing herbal information laws, standards, and regulations associations and organizations dealing with herbal medicine consumer protection, health fraud, and quackery clinical trials and evidence about specific products Internet resources in specialized health areas such as cancer and AIDS side effects, adverse reactions, and drug interactions online indexes and databases such as MEDLINE . . . and much more!Complete with easy-to-read tables and charts as well as a glossary of terms youll encounter on these Web sites, The Herbal Internet Companion: Herbs and Herbal Medicine Online is the resource that puts the power of the Internet in your hands!

Contents Preface Chapter 1. Herbal Medicine and the Internet Herbal Information Resources Herbal Information and the Internet How “Stable” Are Herbal Web Sites? Web Sites for Evaluating Internet Material Chapter 2. A Herbal Renaissance Herbalism in the United States Web Site Resources for Herbal Texts Chapter 3. Identification, Cultivation, and Conservation: Botanical and Agricultural Resources What Is an Herb? Plant Names and Plant Taxonomy The Importance of Correct Plant Identification Web Sites Providing Botanical, Conservation, and Cultivation Data Chapter 4. The Traditional Herbalist Movement and the U.S. Herbal Industry The Herbalist Approach to Health Herbal Products and Manufacturers Web Sites of Practicing Herbalists and U.S. Herbal Organizations Chapter 5. Herbal Associations and Organizations Herbal Organizations in the United States and Europe Web Sites of Professional Herbal Organizations Chapter 6. The Mainstreaming of Herbal Medicine University-Affiliated, Nonprofit, and Other Research Institutions Chapter 7. Traditional Medicine, Folklore, and Ethnobotany Traditional Medicine and Herbal Remedies Traditional Chinese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic Medicine Ethnobotany Herbal Folklore Web Sites Focusing on Traditional Herbal Medicine Chapter 8. Laws, Regulations, and Standards Drug Laws and Regulations The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 Consistency and Standardization Europe and Germany's Commission E Monographs Web Sites of Government and Private Regulatory Agencies Chapter 9. Clinical Evidence and Clinical Trials Do Herbs Work? Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Web Sites Providing Information on Clinical Evidence and Trials Chapter 10. Adverse Effects, Adverse Reactions, and Drug Interactions Herbal Remedies Are Not Risk Free Web Sites That Discuss Adverse Herb Reactions and Drug-Herb Interactions Chapter 11. Quackery, Health Fraud, and Consumer Protection Conflicts Between Allopathic Medicine and Herbalists Health Fraud and Quackery Web Sites Dedicated to Consumer Education and Awareness Chapter 12. Information for Consumers and Patients The Internet and Health Care Web Sites Serving As Gateways to Reliable Herbal Information Chapter 13. MEDLINE and Other Online Indexes/Databases Medical Information and the Information Explosion The Literature on CAM Web Sites Providing Access to Databases and Indexes Chapter 14. AIDS, Cancer, and Other Specialized Health Areas Complementary or Alternative Medicine Cancer and CAM CAM and HIV/AIDS Web Sites That Focus on Particular Diseases and Health Issues Chapter 15. Aromatherapy What Is Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy in Europe Web Sites Providing Information on Aromatherapy Chapter 16. Mailing Lists, Newsgroups, and Chat Rooms The Internet and the New Communication Channels Internet Sites for Mailing Lists, Newsgroups, and Chat Rooms Notes Glossary Index Reference Notes Included

David J Owen