Medicinal plants of Ayurvedic medicine

Medicinal plants of Ayurvedic medicine

By Andrea Zoller and Hellmuth Nordwig

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine, is one of the oldest healing methods and is also very popular in the West. The standard work "Medicinal Plants of Ayurvedic Medicine" is one of the most comprehensive compendia and describes in detail over 220 of the most important medicinal plants in a clear table form. The authors give a lively introduction to Ayurvedic healing, its basics and the special understanding of diseases. The individual plants are described in detail, such as the effect on dosas, ingredients and origin. In particular, the precise information on preparation, dose and application as well as information on side effects make the remedy descriptions easy to use, even for western therapists. The effect of medicinal plants on the body systems such as the respiratory tract, digestion, skin, cardiovascular system, urogenital tract and nervous system is described in detail. The applications include e.g. Ocimum tenuiflorum for colds, coconut for inflammation of the gastric mucosa, saffron for migraines or Pluchea lanceolata for rheumatic complaints. Clinical tips on individual plants from Western practice by experienced Ayurveda therapists are particularly valuable. The present new edition has been enriched by a description of the dosage forms and recipes. This involves forms of preparation such as the production of medicinal powders and oils, fermented juices, plant extracts, jams and resins. Numerous color photos illustrate the medicinal plants. A reference work which is unsurpassed in scope and practicality. "The specialty of this book is that the authors have divided the medicinal plants into around 100 groups of effects. It is probably the only book that describes so many effects in detail. This representation is of great use for practical use. This book is particularly valuable because it is based on the work of the highly respected Indian scholar Prof. P. V. Sharma. Its publication comes at a time when the need for a deeper understanding of Ayurvedic medicine is growing in Germany. As for the effects and uses of medicinal plants, I am sure that this book will quench the reader's thirst for knowledge. "Prof. Dr. Subhash Ranade Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine The energetics of medicinal plants The nervous system, sensory organs, skin and Hair, heart and circulation, respiratory tract, digestive system, kidneys and urinary tract, reproductive organs, immune system, body temperature and fever, General effects Effects on tissue (dhatus) and body ducts (śrotas) Effects on the individual dosas The 223 medicinal plants (main part) The preparation forms at a glance : Svarasas: Fresh vegetable juices Kalkas: Pastes Kvathas: Decoctions Himas: Cold extracts Phanthas: Hot water extracts Asavas and Ari as: Herbal wines Sattva: Solid plant essences Panakas: Syrup preparations Guggulus: Resins and much more Quotation from Traditional South Asian Medicine "This is a phytotherapeutic handbook that presents around 225 Ayurvedic medicinal plants, their uses and their effects in an exemplary manner. " Prof. Dr. Subhash Ranade