BOOK REVIEW
Botanical Medicine for Women ' s Health ( 2nd Edition )
Aviva Romm . Churchill Livingstone . 2017 Paperback 978-0-7020-6193-6 ; eBook 978-0- 7020-6513-2 . Available at https :// www . us . elsevierhealth . com /. $ 62.95
Reviewed by Stephen Clarke .
Herbal medicine has a long and therapeutically successful history across the planet , and many of our modern pharmaceutical drugs owe their origins to herbal medicine : more than one hundred of the drugs most commonly prescribed by medical practitioners are derived from plants . It ’ s not strictly correct to say that herbs are returning to the mainstream : they actually never departed from it . Sales of herbal medicines in the US alone are currently estimated to be worth $ 5 billion a year , and the part played by herbs in developing countries is even more significant : the World Health Organization estimates that 80 % of people in these countries depend on herbal medicine and traditional practitioners for their primary care .
It is especially important to have a book of the scholarly scope and depth of Botanical Medicine for Women ’ s Health because it trains such a specific focus on the herbal treatment of women ’ s conditions . Although women in cultures across history have been responsible for so much of the health care of their people the scope of their practices has been routinely marginalised by the power structures around them . Women ’ s access to the conventional medications used by male-dominated therapeutic establishments has been suppressed , and still today there are many illnesses that women may suffer from that are inadequately addressed by modern medical advances . As a consequence women ’ s medicine was largely based on herbal therapies , as female practitioners had to use the products of the natural world around them rather than the synthetic products available to their male counterparts ; but , as the author of Botanical Medicine for Women ’ s Health , Dr Aviva Romm , points out , “ Modern history leaves no doubt as to the important role women have played in the resurgence of herbal medicine and traditional . nal healing practices in present-day medicine .”
Today , although women are the majority of consumers of complementary and alternative ( CAM ) therapies , including herbal medicines , there is still a significant gap in modern health care . Botanical Medicine for Women ’ s Health will do a great deal to close this gap . The author is a world leader in the field of botanical medicine and has written seven books on natural medicine for women and children , including the first edition of this one . She is a midwife and herbalist of 25 years standing , an MD , and a member of the Advisory Board of the Yale Integrative Medicine Program , Medical Director of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium , sits on the expert panel of the American Herbal Products Association ’ s Botanical Safety Handbook , and serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Botanical Council . Her work has focussed , among other areas , on the impact of toxins on fertility , pregnancy , women ’ s hormones , chronic illness , and children ’ s health .
A major strength of this book is the depth and rigour of the evidence base underlying the therapeutic actions of the herbs it covers , which is unsurprising in view of the author ’ s credentials . It deals exhaustively with 35 health conditions and 150 botanicals applicable to them . There are colour illustrations or photos of plants , and appendices referring to common botanical names , chemical constituents of medicinal plants , and a summary table of herbs for women ' s health .
The organisation of the book is clear and logical . It begins with an authoritative chapter on the principles of herbal medicine , and proceeds to a chronological treatment of women ’ s conditions based on the life cycle from early adult through reproductive years to midlife and ageing .
Part One presents the foundations of botanic medicine , with chapters on the emerging evolution of CAM from a suite of alternative modalities to a widely subscribed functional medicine , the fundamental principles of herbal medicines and the history of their use by and for women . Part Two is titled Every Woman ’ s Health and discusses endocrine health and adrenal support ; sleep , mood and sexual function ; and bone and cardiovascular health . Part Three is dedicated to gynaecological health : menstrual issues , dysfunctional uterine bleeding , conditions of the breasts , uterus and pelvis , vaginal disorders and STIs , urinary tract problems , and breast cancer .
Part Four deals with fertility and the childbearing cycle : pregnancy and herbal medicine ; challenges to fertility ; the three trimesters of pregnancy ; labour and birth ; and postpartum and breastfeeding . Part Five covers the menopause and post-menopause years .
For each condition a table gives a botanical treatment summary : a convenient precis of the deep and detailed . The sections of the table are the therapeutic goal for the particular condition , and the therapeutic actions , common names and botanical names of the herbs prescribed for therapy . Standard medical diagnostic testing for all conditions dealt with is thoroughly and clearly set out , and differential diagnosis identifies disorders that need to be excluded .
The range and depth of the author ’ s medical and botanical knowledge permeate every aspect of this comprehensive and authoritative book . Owning a copy of it seems certain to enhance the skills of students , educators and practitioners .
40 | vol27 | no1 | JATMS