This comprehensive guide to healing synthesizes the principles and practices of Hippocratic, Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Persian medicine, and includes the first English translation of one of the handbooks of Avicenna, whose writings have been classics in herbal and dietetic medicine for more than 1,000 years. Based on the philosophy that "food is the best medicine," Avicenna's canon provides simple and effective diagnostic techniques and therapies for maintaining health and strengthening the immune system. Includes a botanical guide for the 100 most-used healing herbs and recommended treatments for 400 conditions, including diet and nutrition, herbology, and aromatherapy.

With over 50,000 distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the African continent is endowed with an enormous wealth of plant resources. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural

Emotional, as well as physical distress, is a heritage from our hominid ancestors; it has been experienced by every group of human beings since our emergence as a species. And every known culture has developed systems of conceptualization and intervention for addressing it. The editors have brought together leading psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, and others to consider the interaction of psychosocial, biological, and cultural variables as they influence the assessment of health and illness and the course of therapy. The volume includes broadly conceived theoretical and survey chapters; detailed descriptions of specific healing traditions in Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Arab world. The Handbook of Culture, Therapy, and Healing is a unique resource, containing information about Western therapies practiced in non-Western cultures, non-Western therapies practiced both in their own context and in the West.

" A Handbook on African Traditional Healing Approaches & Research Practices " is a rich collection of well-researched articles on indigenous healing. These articles, from a broad range of researchers, pertain to a broad range of communities. They discuss healing practices in the realm of the spiritual, the medicinal, nutritional and more. Some demonstrate a clear relationship between modern and traditional medicine through pharmacological analysis. The practical examples documented capture the effectiveness of indigenous healing as practised by a large number of societies. That indigenous healing practices face the risk extinction is a theme that runs through the contributions. Indeed, without practical (and urgent) steps to preserve such knowledge for posterity, future generations will not have the benefit of time-tested knowledge such as this. The risk of loss of such knowledge that has been passed down generations would be a major loss to humankind. This collection, in part, addresses that risk through systematic research and documentation. What others say " "We have always known that divine law and scientific law are connected, and more important than just knowing it, we live it. This book reaffirms our need to view life cosmologically." " - Kai ner Maa Pitanta, Toronto, Canada " "This book is a must read for anyone who believes that one can blindly trust the foods we eat and the medicines that are "supposed" to heal us. It is enlightening to know that there are natural cures for most things and that we have had the answers to many of our illnesses from the beginning of time." " - Natasha Burford, University of Toronto, Canada " "This work, in part, addresses the debate with respect to the value of traditional healing practices. It is must read for everyone concerned about the society's health, especially in the face of documented limitations of western medicine." " - Matunda Nyanchama, ICT Professional and Publisher