Chapter Number:
3
Pages From:
47
To:
69
Book Title:
Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine: Traditional System, Ethics, Safety, Efficacy, and Regulatory Issues
Publisher:
John Wiley & Sons
Edition:
1
ISBN:
9780470922750
Date:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Abstract:
Herbal medicine, also known as botanical medicine, herbalism, herbology, or phytotherapy,
is the oldest form of health care known to mankind. Herbal medicine flourishes today as the
primary form of medicine for perhaps as much as 80% of the world's population. Over 80,000
species of plants are in use throughout the world. Usually, a specific part of the plant (root,
leaves, fruit, flowers, seeds) is formulated into a suitable preparation, for example,
compressed as tablets or made into pills, used to make infusions (teas), extracts, tinctures, ...