This volume ... will be of widespread interest to anyone with an interest in current research in herbals and natural products. . . . [It] contains detailed discussions of analytical methods, mechanisms of action, and structure-activity relationships. In other words, [it] is a true medicinal chemistry text that is essential for understanding and accessing the literature of much of what is published elsewhere. . . . The usage and interest of phytomedicinals in the United States has taken on a more important perspective in the past few years. Yet, a concise, well-referenced publication on the medicinal chemistry of the discipline has been lacking. This text is concisely written, is clear, is full of data that would normally be hard to find, and takes a broad view of a major topic. After reading this book one has a fairly complete understanding of the state of the art of phytomedicines in Europe and, by extension, its future in the United States.--Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
"Despite the title, Phytomedicines of Europe has a global audience. . . . The entire text is well-referenced with recent research. Even chemists who blanch at biology and biologists that cower at chemistry should easily comprehend the various principles advanced. The book also contains an excellent subject index. This text is a wake-up call to American researchers, pharmaceutical companies, physicians and consumers. Tyler mentions (p. 4) that of the 14 top-selling U.S. Phytomedicinals, 2/3 are popular mostly because of European research. . . . Despite our American love of a purified drug in a nice, easy-to-swallow pill, Phytomedicinal sales are booming in this country. Because of its importance to humanhealth, the field of phytomedicinals in the U.S. should no longer carry the astigmatism of mysticism or quack medicine, but be included as a rational part of our research and health care."--Plant Science Bulletin
"The proceeds of an August 1996 conference held in Orlando, Florida specifically to inform and inspire American scientists about the research on medicinal plants, which ahs continued in Germany and the rest of Europe but has been neglected in the US in favor of synthetic drugs. The herbs treated are not particularly European, The 21 papers address the status of phytopharmaceuticals within the European market, herbal drugs in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, plant polysaccharides and cancer, arnica flowers, echinacea, garlic, hawthorne, the influence of the flavonolignan silibinin of milk thistle on hepatocytes and kidney cells, St. John's wort, and lessons from research with mistletoe for phytotherapeutic immunomodulation as a treatment modality in oncology."--SciTech Book News
