Radiant Health The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs - Softcover

Teeguarden, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446518980 ISBN 13: 9780446518987

Publisher: Warner Books, 1998

Synopsis

Physical health, this book explains, is irrelevant if it is accompanied by unhappiness and failure. Herbal expert Ron Teeguarden explains how to apply natural Chinese herbal medicine in order to lead a full and energetic life.

About this title

Review:

With his 20 years of herbal expertise, Ron Teeguarden is the man celebrities rely on to improve their energy, put a glow on their skin, even renew their sexual vigor. Here he's written a fine and thorough introduction to the theory and art of tonic herbs. Anyone who's seen Woody Allen's Alice may be a bit leery, but there's more philosophy and science to these herbs than the hocus-pocus that the uninformed may associate them with. As Teeguarden points out, many of these herbs have been in use for more than 5,000 years.

He first covers the principles of Chinese health--yin and yang; the Three Treasures of life--qi (energy or vitality), jing (essence), and shen (spirit); the five main organ systems; and the Chinese view of the mind-body connection. These concepts may seem a bit out of this world for those accustomed to Western medicine ("Anger damages the liver"; "The kidneys control the skeleton"), but Teeguarden does an excellent job of explaining it all, even for folks who are complete novices when it comes to these Chinese health principles.

Then, using an organized, easy-to-use format and a handy one- to five-star system, he rates various herbs and classifies them according to their antioxidant qualities, ability to support the organs, and other health-promoting properties. Handy bonuses include the pharmaceutical name of each herb, its organ associations, and its taste. There are herbs for helping knee problems and boosting fertility, for improving immunity and reducing stress, even for promoting longevity. The most interesting of the bunch are the ones that you'd assume appeal to Hollywood folk: tonics to promote hair growth, clear the complexion, and prevent jet lag. Teeguarden then reveals the "recipes" or herb combinations for his tonics, some of which have amusing names like "Gecko Rockclimber," "Super Shou Wu Combination" (for fatigue or exhaustion), and "Yanlin's Beauty Formula." There are plenty of mail-order resources for those who can't find these herbs locally, along with a super chart with the Chinese symbols of each herb, the part used, and primary functions. Overall, this is a very helpful, user-friendly reference for anyone wanting to investigate the benefits that herbs and herbal tonics have to offer. --Erica Jorgensen

About the Author:

Teeguarden is a Chinese herbalist, herbal product manufacturer, and proprietor of Ron Teeguarden's Herbarium in Brentwood, California. He has been researching the properties of Chinese tonic herbs and other aspects of the Asian art of radiant health 20yr

Guo-Jun is professor emeritus at China Pharmaceutical University in Nanjing, China, and is a member of the Advisory Panel on Medicine, Academic Degree Committee.

Zhen-He is president of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at China Pharmaceutical University in Nanjing, China.

Zheng-Tao is a professor at China Pharmaceutical University, Department of Pharmacognosy, and a member of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, and Director of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' Commission to Standardize Chinese Herbs.

About this edition

• Publisher: Warner Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0446518980
• ISBN 13: 9780446518987
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416