Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants (4 Vols-Set)

From the preface: "History records the use of plants with medicinal values for treating diseases and revitalising body systems. For years, they have been considered as mainstay of medicine. Ancient civilisations, including Indian, Chinese and Greek, used to consider them as having mystical and supernatural powers. Sticking to the view that insufficiencies in the development of science during that period clouded the minds of the people with incongruous theories about these medicinal plants, the present level of scientific awareness and understanding has revealed a number uses of these plant based on factual observations.

Among the flowering shrubbery and the tall trees that comprise the world of plants, medicinal herbs hold well-defined importance for an array of reasons. Broadly divided into three main categories--superior, intermediary and inferior-they are gifts of nature to mankind, whose uses range from curative treatment to preventive measures.

Nowadays, even the western medicine practitioners prefer plants with medicinal values to medicines, owing to their natural healing powers. The importance given to these plants is based on results from years of research and observations. During recent years, researchers have done painstaking and commendable work in compiling details of Indian medicinal plants. The studies conducted by these scholars have confirmed many of the claims of ancient herbalists about the efficacy of several herbs in curing diseases.

Apart from treating disease, medicinal plants are now being increasingly used in cosmetics, foods and teas. The growing interest in herbs is a part of the movement towards change in life-styles. This movement is based on the belief that the plants have a vast potential for their use as a curative medicine.

While some herbs can be used in their natural form, there are others from which certain constituents have to be derived to be able to use their medicinal values to the maximum extent. Nowadays, the constituents derived from the medicinal plants form a large portion of commercial medication. Their uses range from treatment of heart disease and high blood pressure to pain and asthma. The absorption of the beneficial constituents of these plants by the body is as vital as knowing their effects on the body. The task of cleansing and purifying the body that they are supposed to perform is made possible only when they are digested properly.

An important aspect of a medicinal plant is its appearance that makes it distinguishable from the rest. Unsurprisingly, there is an assortment of plants that look similar, but when it comes to their internal composition that is to define them as useful products, they lack the required constituents. A common man bearing just a basic knowledge level of these plants might find it hard to distinguish a particular medicinal plant from its look-alikes. Possessing an in-depth knowledge of the various aspects related to medicinal plants enables one to use them as per the requirement.

The four volumes of Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants are written with the purpose of providing explicit information regarding various medicinal plants known for their curative abilities. Starting from acquainting the readers with the most common names of these medicinal plants, the descriptions move on to list their botanical names, the elements they comprise of, their remedial uses and actions, their harmful effects, the natural environment they are found in, the method of cultivating them and their background. In every volume, care has been taken to present the information in a manner that a novice reader can gain utmost knowledge and implement it when needed."