Tyler's Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and Related Remedies

I just read a 5 star review by "A Customer" that was written very thoroughly and hadn't planned on adding one of my own until I grazed through the 1 star ratings filled with way too much emotions to be taken seriously. I'm a RD and a college professor highly recommended this author stating he was studying herbs long before their popularity. Although he was viewed as a bit odd for his choice of studies back then, now he is highly respected by the medical community. Now on a personal note, I am a strong advocate of EATING your way to health and staying active to maintain it. Yes, I'm a fervent believer in ID (intelligent design) - specifically God Almighty. And I have said for years, "If God wanted us to get our nutrients from pills, he would have created plants bearing pills." Instead he gave us wonderful FOOD of all variety and they are a delight to all our senses. While some people want to call this "whole foods" and pay designer label prices, I say, "Hey, keep it simple." Does that mean I completely dismiss the ideas/benefits of herbs? Absolutely not! History has proven the benefits of medicinal plants from practically every culture/race, but you pill poppers have missed a major point! They used the plants! Mr Tyler states numerous times that the potentially beneficial chemical compounds of these herbs are best found in the fresh plants and are lost (or their preservation cannot be assured) during the process of making pills. It's just like the whole foods notion. Less processing means more nutrients/benefits. So, STOP Popping Pills and wasting your money! If you still have the urge to "throw away" your hard earned money, then please consider a charity to help the orphaned and widows. Here's a personal favorite of mine. [...] Focusing on the needs of others has one of the best placebo affects.

Varro Tyler is not the kind of herbalist who recommends apanoply of plant materials to cure every ill. On the contrary -- hewill warn you away from a number of dangerous herbs you'll find trumpeted on the Internet or sitting temptingly on the health food store shelves, and explain why others, while not unsafe, will not do what they ads claim.Tyler's monographs are interesting as well as informative. In a few concise paragraphs he gives the history of each herb, from its earliest uses right up to what is claimed for it now. He explains the pharmacology of each one in detailed but clearly understandable terms. He tells you what to be careful of -- if you have a certain condition, or take certain pharmaceutical drugs, for example. And, most important, he tells you whether or not it's safe and whether or not he thinks it will work.Tyler is quite conservative. He cites scientific studies (all meticulously referenced) as evidence for everything he says. He tells you whether the studies were well-crafted or poorly done. He explains why "if it's natural, it must be safe" is not true. But if Tyler says it's safe and probably does what you need, it's worth trying.With all of the claims for herbs we're bombarded with these days, this is a book I wouldn't be without. Check it before you buy anything, and you'll avoid both putting yourself in harms way, and wasting your money.

In writing "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain" I used several references along with literature searches to document pros and cons of various so-called "smart drugs" or "nootropics", many of which included herbal preparations. Tylers reference was by far the most well-documented and most concise review of herbals that I perused. It is a no-nonsense alphabetical guide that everyone who walks into a pharmacy or health food store to buy these preparations should own. May I recommend "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain" as a companion...Ken Giuffre MD