Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine

Islamic herbal medicine, also known as Prophetic medicine, relies only on the herbal prescriptions described by the prophet Muhammad and his direct successors; it is still practiced today in the Muslim world. Offering entries on about 100 herbs, this encyclopedia draws on modern scientific research as well as classical Arabic sources. Each entry includes the herb's English, Arabic, and botanical names, as well as common names in various languages. Entries give safety ratings and brief notes on the herb's uses in Prophetic medicine, then discuss identification issues, list the herb's properties, and offer an overview of scientific research. Each entry ends with a list of 10-50 modern scientific studies on the herb. An introduction gives a detailed overview of the parallel development of Prophetic medicine and Unani medicine, which synthesizes several traditions. There is also background on the acceptance of herbalism in the West and the growing body of scientific research on herbs. A glossary of technical terms is included. Morrow teaches Arabic-Islamic studies at the University of Virginia. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

John Andrew Morrow has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Toronto and is a prolific author. He most recently taught in the departments of English, Spanish and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia.