Nature's Pharmacopeia: A World of Medicinal Plants PDF
Preview Nature's Pharmacopeia: A World of Medicinal Plants
N AT U R E ’ S P H A R M ACO P E I A DAN CHOFFNES A World of Medicinal Plants Nature’s Pharmacopeia ii V E R S O R U N N I N G H E A D NATURE’S PHARMACOPEIA A World of Medicinal Plants DAN CHOFFNES COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS New York Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex cup.columbia.edu Copyright © 2016 Dan Choffnes All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Choffnes, Dan, author. Nature’s pharmacopeia : a world of medicinal plants / Dan Choffnes. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-231-16660-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-231-16661-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-231-54015-5 (e-book) I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Plants, Medicinal. 2. Ethnobotany—history. 3. Phytotherapy. QV 766] RS164 615.3’21—dc23 2015020788 Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 cover design: Milenda Nan Ok Lee cover image: @ Getty Images References to Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. Contents Preface xi Note to the Reader xiii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Concepts of Ethnomedicine 2 Traditional Medicine in East Asia 4 Traditional Medicine in South Asia 6 Traditional Medicine in the Americas 7 Traditional Medicine in Africa 10 Shared Features of Medical Systems 11 Traditional Medicine of the Mediterranean 11 The Humoral System: Fifteen Centuries of Medical Doctrine 13 Undercurrents in European Medical Practice: Mysticism and the Doctrine of Signatures 13 The Linnaean Biological Classification Scheme 16 Empiricism in Medicine 17 The Scientific Method 18 Plurality, Evolution, and Synthesis: Medical Traditions in Perspective 22 Chapter 2 The Regulation of Drugs 26 Drugs as Poisons, Spiritual Aids, and Agents of Social Bonding 27 Diverse Professions Specialized in Supplying Medicinal Plants 28 The American Herbal Medical Traditions 29 Drug Regulation in the United States 30 vi C O N T E N T S Chapter 3 The Actions of Medicinal Plants 36 Actions of Medicinal Plants and Their Derivatives 38 Digestive System 43 Cardiovascular System 45 Respiratory System 49 Urinary System 51 Reproductive System 52 Musculoskeletal System 55 Immune System and Infectious Disease 56 Chapter 4 The Actions of Medicinal Plants on the Nervous System 62 Central Nervous System: Structure and Function 63 Peripheral Nervous System: Structure and Function 65 Neurons 65 Neurotransmitters 67 Complexity of Psychoactive Drug Action 76 Tolerance, Dependence, and Addiction 77 Classification of Psychoactive Drugs 78 Psychoactive Plant Compounds in Contemporary Neuroscience 79 Chapter 5 Poppy 80 Ancient Use in the Mediterranean Region 81 Opium as World Medicine 83 Opium in China 84 Opium in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Western Medicine 87 Opium Culture in the United States 89 Mechanism of Action 90 Chapter 6 Coca 94 Ancient Use in the Andean Region 95 Coca and the Spanish Conquest 96 Isolation of Coca’s Active Principle 97 Cocaine in Nineteenth-Century European Medicine 98 Coca-Cola 99 C O N T E N T S vii Sigmund Freud and the Promotion of Cocaine 100 Path to Criminalization in the United States 101 Mechanism of Action 102 Chapter 7 Peyote 104 Origins and Ancient Use in North America 105 Peyote Among the Huichol 106 The Native American Church 108 Isolation of Peyote’s Active Principle 110 Opening the Doors of Perception 111 Mechanism of Action 112 Chapter 8 Wormwood 114 Ancient Use in Medicine 115 Absinthe 116 Mechanism of Action 123 Chapter 9 Hemp 126 Origins and Role in Ancient Eurasian Ritual and Medicine 127 Cannabis Culture in South Asia 129 Rediscovery of Medicinal Hemp in Europe 131 Hemp in the United States 134 Mechanism of Action 138 Chapter 10 Coffee 142 Origins of Use in Africa and Arabia 143 Coffeehouse Culture and the World Coffee Economy 145 Medicine or Poison? 147 The New American Coffeehouse 148 The Processing of Coffee 149 Mechanism of Action 150 Chapter 11 Tea 152 Origins of Use in China 153 The Spread of Tea: Along the Silk Road and Beyond 155 The Processing of Tea 156 viii C O N T E N T S The Culture of Tea 160 Tea in the Traditional Medicines of Asia and Europe 163 Mechanism of Action 164 Chapter 12 Cacao 168 Origin and Use Among Indigenous Mesoamericans 169 Cacao in Europe 171 Cacao in European Medicine 173 The Processing of Cacao 173 Mechanism of Action 174 Chapter 13 Tobacco 176 Early Use in the Americas 177 Tobacco as a Colonial Commodity 180 The Processing of Tobacco 181 Healing Herb or Health Hazard? 181 Isolation of Tobacco’s Active Principle 184 Mechanism of Action 185 Chapter 14 Popular Herbs 186 Herbal Dietary Supplements and Medically Active Foods 187 Cranberry 188 Soy 190 Saw Palmetto 192 Garlic 194 Ginkgo 196 Milk Thistle 197 Purple Coneflower 199 Black Cohosh 200 St. John’s Wort 202 Ginseng 204 Horehound 206 Valerian 207 Turmeric 209 Aloe 210 Ginger 213 Kava 214 C O N T E N T S ix Chapter 15 The Future of Medicinal Plants 218 Following Ethnomedical Leads 219 Building a Base of Evidence 225 Safety 232 Sustainability and Ethics 235 Conclusion 240 Notes 243 Bibliography 295 Index 321
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