Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 5

Book excerpt: The 5th and final volume in a masterwork for students of herbalism and practicing herbalists Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals is a five-volume set that serves as a comprehensive, practical reference manual for herbalists, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals. Dr. Jill Stansbury draws on her decades of clinical experience and her extensive research to provide an unparalleled range of herbal formulas. Organized by body system, each volume includes hundreds of formulas to treat common health conditions, as well as formulas that address specific energetic or symptomatic presentations. For each formula, Dr. Stansbury briefly explains how the selected herbs address the specific condition. Sidebars and user-friendly lists help readers quickly choose which herbs are best for specific presentations and detail traditional uses of both Western and traditional Asian formulas and herbs that are readily available in the United States. Volume 5 focuses on autoimmune and allergic conditions including allergic rhinitis (hay fever), asthma, hives, and food sensitivities. A chapter on ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and throat includes herbal therapies for eye infections, glaucoma, and other eye conditions; sinus infections, colds, and sore throats; and tooth decay and oral infections. A chapter on the musculoskeletal system covers common conditions such as sore muscles and bruising as well as chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Each chapter includes a materia medica section that describes individual herbs with tips on their properties, modes of action, and the specific symptoms each plant best addresses. These formularies are also a tutorial for budding herbalists on the sophisticated art of fine-tuning an herbal formula for the constitution and overall health condition of an individual patient, rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all treatment for a basic diagnosis. The text aims to teach by example, helping clinicians develop their own intuition and ability to create effective herbal formulas. Previous volumes include Digestion and Elimination (Volume 1), Circulation and Respiration (Volume 2), Endocrinology (Volume 3), and Neurology, Psychiatry, and Pain Management (Volume 4).