August 27, 1998 – The scientific monographs of Commission E of the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices are now available in English.
Published by the American Botanical Council, The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines is the English version of the book considered to be the world’s best source of information on the efficacy and safe use of plants and herbal products.
In Germany, this work is used by doctors and pharmacists for the prescription of medicinal plants. According to Varro Tyler, professor emeritus of pharmacognosy and dean of the School of Pharmacy at Purdue University, “not knowing the Commission E monographs is like ignoring a whole section of modern medicine. From now on this information will be available in the language of global scientific communication. ”
Commission E was created in 1978. Composed of doctors, pharmacists, pharmacologists and toxicologists, the Commission has researched more than 300 medicinal plants and approved or rejected their use depending on whether or not it could obtain evidence that the plants met criteria for absolute safety and reasonable efficacy.
The monographs of Commission E include the nomenclature of the plant, its composition and its main chemical constituents, its uses and indications, its contraindications, its side effects, its interactions with other drugs, its dosage and its therapeutic activity.
The American Botanical Council edition features 380 plant monographs. According to Mark Blumenthal, the main publisher of the work, “this publication responds to the growing need for credible and recognized information on the proper use of medicinal plants. It will certainly increase the acceptance of the legitimate medical use of herbal medicines by physicians, pharmacists, journalists, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. ”
For more information:
American Botanical Council
PO Box 144345, Austin
Texas 78714-4345, USA
Phone: (512) 926-4900
Fax: (512) 926-2345
Website: www.herbalgram.org
HealthPassport.net
According to HerbalGram, Summer 1998, no. 43
