New Herbal Pharmacotherapy Resource

Natural Standard Herbal Pharmacotherapy: An Evidence-Based Approach is now available for purchase. The book provides practical guidance on the use of herbal therapies for medical conditions. This reference tool will be an essential part of herbal pharmacy core curricula for all healthcare disciplines.

Chapters are organized by medical condition and present supportive evidence, including potential mechanisms of action and dosing, for selected herbal therapies. The chapters also include integrative therapy plans to help clinicians quickly assess patient needs and create cohesive treatment plans.

In addition, adjunct therapies, including herbs, supplements and modalities, that are commonly used in combination with primary treatments are discussed. Case studies, which summarize efficacy, safety, dosing and interactions for high-utilization products, help prepare healthcare providers for patient counseling in clinical practice.

Review questions, similar to those on national board exams, allow readers to evaluate their learning and identify areas for further study.

The book also includes several appendices, which provide information about lab values as well as the safety, interactions and pharmacokinetics of select herbs.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1 - Introduction to Herbal Pharmacotherapy
  
• Chapter 2 - Evidence-Based Integrative Care
• Chapter 3 - Psychiatric Disorders
• Chapter 4 - Anxiety and Insomnia
• Chapter 5 - Depressive Disorders
• Chapter 6 - Physical and Cognitive Enhancement
• Chapter 7 - Parkinson’s Disease
• Chapter 8 - Epilepsy
• Chapter 9 - Pain
• Chapter 10 - Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
• Chapter 11 - Hypertension
• Chapter 12 - Congestive Heart Failure and Diuresis
• Chapter 13 - Angina
• Chapter 14 - Ischemic Disease and Heart Rhythm Disorders
• Chapter 15 - Coagulation Disorders
• Chapter 16 - Lipid Disorders
• Chapter 17 - Respiratory Disorders
• Chapter 18 - Diabetes
• Chapter 19 - Pituitary and Thyroid Disorders
• Chapter 20 - Obesity
• Chapter 21 - Menopause
• Chapter 22 - Osteoporosis
• Chapter 23 - Arthritis
• Chapter 24 - Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Chapter 25 - Liver Disorders
• Chapter 26 - Genitourinary Disorders
• Chapter 27 - Bacterial Infections
• Chapter 28 - Parasitic Infections
• Chapter 29 - Viral Infections
• Chapter 30 - Cancer
• Appendix A - Safety: Adverse Effects, Interactions, Pharmacokinetics
• Appendix B - Pregnancy and Lactation
• Appendix C - Therapeutic Class Tables
• Appendix D - Laboratory Values Answers to Review Questions

Several resources, including animations, Appendix C, Appendix D, Chapter 31, Grades A-F Tables and References, are available on the Evolve Web site. To order a copy of the book, please click here.

Comments

[P.J.]

I wonder which professionals will gain the most from this book. Pharmacists might benefit because the book addresses adjunct therapies that people may use in addition to primary treatments. It seems important for a pharmacist to be able to tell a patient whether something like St. John's Wart will interact with any other medication the patient may be on. I think people may take herbal supplements thinking they do not interact with other medications, but at times they do, so it is a good idea for health professionals to be aware of this.

[Sarah M]

Is this more of a desk reference or a text that health professionals should read cover to cover? It has 13 chapters, each organized around a general health topic, so it seems to cover a lot of ground.

It seems professionals who see all types of patients in a given day (such as a general practitioner) would benefit from this book. Also, specialists may benefit as well. For example, an oncologist (a doctor who treats cancer) might benefit not only from Chapter 30 (Cancer), but also Chapter 9 (Pain), Chapter 4 (Anxiety and Insomnia), and Chapter 6 (Depressive Disorders), as each topic may impact the same patient.

[B.L.]

One of the strengths of the integrative medicine field is its inclusion of mental health issues when discussing overall health. I appreciate that at least three chapters in this book relate to mental health. People seek relief for things like insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Often, they seek herbal supplements instead of or in addition to help from their doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or social workers. Other people are sick with serious health conditions, such as liver failure, and need help managing their mental health as a result. There is a lot of evidence that mental health is closely related to bodily health, and I'm glad to see that this book acknowledges this connection by including chapters on mental health.

[Pete C.]

I wonder how much training doctors, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other medical professionals receive in integrative medicine. I believe pharmacists must know at least something about the topics covered in this book in order to get their licenses in some states. How much does this book supplement or reinforce what medical professionals have already learned?

Also, do more recent graduates know more about integrative medicine than people who became medical professionals many years ago? How important is this book for keeping professionals current on the way people are consuming medicine?

[Jane]

This looks like a wonderful resource for students and professionals who need solid, reliable information on herbal remedies. I'll spread the word!

[Peter]

I like the way this book is organized by conditions rather than by individual herbs and supplements. Since each of these entities have various effects on different conditions, it's hard to look for answers for questions like: what can I take to help lower my cholesterol?

Also, this books seems to be a comprehensive resource for all areas of CAM, including herbs, supplements, modalities and adjunct treatments.

[gb]

Integrative or alternative medicine is becoming a huge part of disease management. As a pharmacist, I am glad to know there is a reference book out there dedicated to this field. Consumers, as well as practitioners, are constantly turning to the pharmacist to answer questions about herbal supplements and possible drug interactions with the drug regimen the patient is on. I am so thankful that this book is available and organized by disease state so that I can answer the clinicians' questions with the most reliable and up-to-date information available on herbal remedies.

[John]

It’s good to see an evidence-based textbook on herbal therapies. The complementary and alternative medicine industry is a big business and continues to grow tremendously every year. A resource like this will help healthcare professionals help their patients with the herbs and supplements that they are taking. I know most pharmacy and medical schools in the U.S. do not give any formal education on the use of herbs and supplements, even though many Americans take them on a daily basis. If herbals are covered in classes, it is usually very brief and general.

[Amy]

I think this herbal pharmacotherapy resource would be a great resource to MDs, NPs, PAs, pharmacists and nurses. As a pharmacy student, we only briefly covered the topic of herbals and natural supplements. This is unfortunate because many patients utilize these agents, so it can be difficult to properly assess the full picture when you are not as informed about certain agents. As drug experts, pharmacist should have a decent knowledge of herbals since they are often used in addition to conventional treatments.

[Amiyah]

Pete, based on my experience (which is somewhat limited), I would have to say recent grads are definitely more up-to-date on herbals and natural supplements compared to those who graduated some years ago. I have also found that younger healthcare professionals (more recent grads) are more open to using an integrative approach with their patients.

I think this pharmacotherapy resource will provide comprehensive information to any healthcare provider. Based on the table of contents, it seems it would benefit general practitioners along with specialists. It also great that there are appendices that discuss interactions, which are always a concern with any patient.

[TM]

I definitely think it will be a great resource for all healthcare professionals. As healthcare professions have done a great job counseling patients to inform their physicians about the over-the-counter medications they are taking. But, in my experience, I have seen physicians recommend patients to ask the pharmacist questions concerning herbal medicines. Many healthcare professionals feel uncertainty counseling on herbal medicine. The problem is many of our patients are taking herbal medications without any guidance. This book will provide the resource needed to make recommendations.

I look forward to using this book in my practice.

[William]

This resource will be great to have in the pharmacy; it is hard to find good, solid, reliable data on herbal supplements and their place in therapy. With the field always developing it’s nice to have something to keep us up to speed with the ever-changing world of natural medicine. As all pharmacists know, you have to make sure to check at least two resources before you can truly make an informed decision. It seems like nowadays patients are pushing us to learn more about integrative therapies to better treat them. Glad we have a resource out there like Natural Standard to keep us informed.

[Emma]

It is very very helpful resource for everyone.

[Isaac]

It’s always a nice treat to have interesting headlines presented to me without having to seek them out myself. With Natural Standard now on Facebook, not only will I be allowed to show my support, but I will be able to discuss them with those with similar interests and backgrounds. Opening these topics up to the community via social networking tools will be an awesome new way to stay up to date with current events in integrative medicine. I look forward to discussing these with you, so join now!

[A.G.]

Herbal therapies have not been taken seriously in the realm of modern medicine. For most healthcare professionals, herbals are a sticky subject. For most, they are looked at as desperate attempts or false beliefs that interfere with real medicine. The truth is that there is plenty of evidence available linking herbal medications to almost all health-related conditions. This evidence needs to be interpreted just as those in the healthcare mainstream. Although herbals are not evaluated by the FDA, this does not make these approaches desperate or false.

There seem to have been many attempts to create a comprehensive, user-friendly resource for herbal therapies for healthcare providers. This resource would be a great reference behind the counter in community pharmacies because it thoughtfully presents information by physiologic system or disease state. By combining the description of these health states with the herbals that have been linked to positive effects, this book can make huge contributions by providing an understandable, evidence-based collection of these topics.

[Will]

I recently took a look at the book, and it is a really good resource. The chapters are concise and informative. For each condition, the authors have brief background information and then list the evidence of efficacy for various natural products. This helps practitioners make more-informed decisions about patient care. This book will be helpful for a quick look up when a patient has questions.

[michael]

Natural Standard has expanded their online database to include information about not only about herbals, but also various CAM modalities (i.e. yoga, acupuncture, etc.). It seems this new text book focuses on herbal pharmacotherapy, which is extremely applicable to pharmacy and med school curriculum. I wonder if NS is planning on releasing other textbooks in the future that cover more about modality treatments and which audience this type of reference would target?

[CD]

I think this book will be a very good resource for many, many different types of practitioners, not to mention even the patient who wants to also be on top of their care. There is a real need for practitioners to have good, logical information at their fingertips, and hopefully many of them will learn about this book. Thanks for having such a great resource published!

[christine]

This is quite a lengthy list of disease states covered in the new herbal pharmacotherapy book. The organization of this resource sounds similar to the Pharmacotherapeutics book written by Dipiro that students rely heavily on during pharmacy school -- except that it takes an herbal approach as opposed to conventional medicine.

Dipiro also came out with a much lighter, condensed reference book that summarized and highlighted the important info for each chapter. This reference book was much easier to carry around than the larger textbook, although it wasn’t as comprehensive. I think it would be a great move for Natural Standard to come out with a more condensed reference book that summarizes all of the great points that are made in each chapter. As a pharmacy student, I would definitely be interested in purchasing such a resource (especially while on rotations).

[dana]

Would I be able to purchase an online version of this textbook? I agree with some of the above comments that the physical weight of textbooks can limit sales, but as a student, I wouldn’t want to only purchase a light-weight, non-comprehensive pocket reference book.

Also, how often does Natural Standard plan to update this textbook? Textbooks are expensive, and having an online option may give students (and other buyers) more incentive to purchase this resource if they could buy yearly updates instead of a whole new textbook.

[C.S.]

I wonder if this book will become a required text in all pharmacy schools. Since most pharmacy schools have an OTC textbook, I would assume that this would be required also because half of all the products in the pharmacy aisles are herbal supplements. I hate it when I ask pharmacists about an herbal supplement, and they don’t have a clue about its safety or benefit. Hopefully this book will help future pharmacists to become more knowledgeable about nutritional supplements.

[pat]

As a pharmacy student, I think having the Herbal Pharmacotherapy as a resource would be extremely valuable. I would even take it one step further and encourage curriculum facilitators at various pharmacy programs to even consider implementing an integrative medicine course. With more and more of the patient population looking at alternative medicine for various diseases, it's important for healthcare providers to have knowledgeable insight into other therapeutic agents that patients would be taking especially for hypertension, diabetes or hyperlipidemia.

I would also ask the same questions as above: how often would the text be updated? Would it possible to have a summarized handbook of the textbook? Would it be helpful to include a chapter about other treatment modalities such as energy healing, spirituality/prayer, yoga, etc.?

[Dave]

Being a pharmacy student, this book looks to be a very valuable resource in the pharmacy setting, especially in a retail pharmacy setting. I have noticed recently that a lot more people are inquiring about herbal products in the pharmacy, so this resource would be very helpful in that regard. Although they do teach us about herbals in pharmacy school, it is quite brief compared to other learning modules. We may spend an entire week learning about diabetes, but only one class devoted to herbals, which barely scratches the surface of the herbal category.

I like how the book is organized by disease state. A lot of times, people may ask what they can take for sleep, or what they can take for depression. I like how the book provides lab values and interactions as well. Interactions are a very important part of dealing with herbals. People may think that just because it’s an herbal that they can just take it, but they have to realize that the herbal has the possibility of interacting with any other medication they may be taking.

I can see the Herbal Pharmacotherapy Resource being a very handy tool for the healthcare professional.

[Jeff]

I have encountered patients in the community pharmacy setting who are desperate for therapeutic choices other than prescription medications. One man experienced such bad side effects from statins that he said he'd rather have a heart attack than take the statin his physician prescribed (and with an LDL of 230 that just might happen!). He heard about a cholesterol-lowering remedy that involved taking 4 Dove chocolates daily. While I can't say I find the Dove-chocolate remedy promising, I hope that this book can provide helpful advice on what to recommend those patients because the need for such information is certainly great.

[G.S.]

Aside from its obvious usefulness for healthcare providers, I think this book may be of personal interest to the millions of people who seek alternative therapies. Working in a pharmacy, more than half of the questions fielded are about over-the-counter homeopathic therapies. There seems to be an increasing interest in these therapies; even with the expansion of available meds and continued success of pharmaceutical companies, prices for meds remain consistently high. Aside from the financial reasons, I think that many people are beginning to take interest in the data that are becoming more readily available for alternative therapies.

[DE]

Like some of the other readers, I would be interested in an online version of Herbal Pharmacotherapy, especially if it was updated frequently. Until then, the Natural Standard Web site continues to be my go-to reference for integrative medicine information.

[EF]

Like some of the other readers, I would be interested in an online version of Herbal Pharmacotherapy, especially if it was updated frequently. Until then, the Natural Standard Web site continues to be my go-to reference for integrative medicine information.

[Sara]

I think not only pharmacists and healthcare professionals will gain a lot from this book, but also the general public. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals to the public. If you have a pharmacist who is as educated on herbal supplements as conventional therapies, he/she can better educate the patients on interactions and side effects. At the receiving end are the patients who are better educated and aware of the potential benefits and danger of the supplements.

[Will]

This would be a great reference for an alternative medicine class for healthcare majors. Being a pharmacy student, I have noticed the lack of information being taught about complementary and alternative medicine. The elective that was offered at my school in alternative medicine unfortunately did not fit my schedule. This resource seems like a comprehensive guide to providers, especially pharmacists. We receive numerous questions every day about herbal supplements that our educations do not teach us about, and it is left to the consumer to obtain the information. The information that is usually the most available to the consumer is inadequate or misleading. It is certainly our responsibility to know about these herbs and supplements in order to maximize the health of our patients.