Steven Foster

Varro E. Tyler

"Researchers, get busy!" and "caveat emptor" are the messages of this iteration (last, 1993; first, 1982) by herbalists Tyler (pharmacognosy, Purdue U.) and Foster, as they cull herbs' healing virtues from the hype. Alphabetical entries from alfalfa to yucca provide: a brief description, proper nomenclature, plant from which derived, comments on usage, accessible discussion of the chemistry/pharmacology of its active components, evaluation of probable utility, and references. A 16-page summary chart may alone be worth the price. No illustrations, though. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and Related Remedies

Tyler's Honest Herbal

With a sense of urgency, Dr. Tyler has collected andtranscribed some 750 folk remedies still alive in the memories of more than 175Hoosier-area correspondents. The pharmacologist, who has thirty years ofexperience with natural-product remedies, fears these cures will soon beforgotten, since modern medicine usually writes them off as hoax, and those whopractice them are becoming fewer and fewer. For Tyler, however, folk medicine isworthy of scientific research; after all, scientists discovered morphine fromopium poppy, digoxin from foxglove, and ergotamine from ergot fungus byobserving the efficacy of these ancient folk remedies. By suggesting furtherinvestigation of some remedies, warning readers against downright dangerouscures, and noting the constitutive ingredients of those proven effective, Tylerinvites further illumination of this shady region between superstition andscience while entertaining his reader with much fascinating medical tore.Hoosiers, folklore followers, physicians, and pharmacologists will appreciatethe meticulous clarity of Tyler's scientific commentary on folk medicines.

Varro E. Tyler

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