Includes bibliographical references and index

The concepts of ethnomedicine -- The regulation of drugs -- The actions of medicinal plants -- The actions of medicinal plants on the nervous system -- Poppy -- Coca -- Peyote -- Wormwood -- Hemp -- Coffee -- Tea -- Cacao -- Tobacco -- Popular herbs -- The future of medicinal plants

The book opens with an overview of the use of medicinal plants in the traditional practices and indigenous belief systems of people in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and ancient Europe. It then connects medicinal plants to the growth of scientific medicine in the West. Subsequent chapters cover the regulation of drugs; the use of powerful plant chemicalssuch as cocaine, nicotine, and caffeinein various medical settings; and the application of biomedicine's intellectual frameworks to the manufacture of novel drugs from ancient treatments. Geared toward nonspecialists, this text fosters a deep appreciation of the complex chemistry and cultural resonance of herbal medicine, while suggesting how we may further tap the vast repositories of the world's herbal knowledge to create new pharmaceuticals.--COVER