Herbs for the Mind: What Science Tells Us about Nature's Remedies for Depression, Stress, Memory Loss, and Insomnia

Herbs are all the rage. But herbal products are largely unregulated by the government, and much of what we know about them is based on patient testimonials and marketing mumbo jumbo rather than hard scientific evidence. Despite these large gaps in our knowledge, herb use is on the rise as people grow increasingly dissatisfied with mainstream medicine.

To sort out the hype from the science, two respected Duke University psychiatrists trained in traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine wrote Herbs for the Mind. They provide in-depth reviews of the data behind four popular alternative remedies: St. John's wort for depression, kava for stress or anxiety, gingko for memory loss, and valerian for insomnia. They also provide overviews of the symptoms, causes, and traditional treatments for these ailments.

Herbs for the Mindis an invaluable resource if you're considering using natural remedies to treat mental maladies. It guides you in deciding where herbs fit into an overall treatment plan, how to enlist your doctor's help in developing an herbal self-help program, how to know if an herb is working for you, when to switch brands or products, and when to stop using herbs altogether. It also points out what medicine has yet to learn about herbs, including the potential dangers of long-term use. A glossary defines commonly used terms, and a resource section provides a list of authoritative herbal and mental health textbooks, journals, and organizations. --Nancy Monson

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Kava: Nature's Answer to Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia

What St. John's wort is for depression, kava is for everyday anxiety. Native to exotic locales including the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, kava is a ritual and medicinal herb that's been used for centuries. It may not taste fabulous, but it effectively relieves tension and anxiety without affecting one's alertness or mental capacities or resulting in addictions, unlike prescription drugs such as Valium. Written by Hyla Cass, M.D., a well-known alternative medicine consultant and assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Kava: Nature's Answer to Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia is an intelligent, engaging reference to this increasingly popular herb.

Cass clearly explains the herb's chemical composition without delving into turgid scientific mumbo jumbo, or relying on lifeless quotes from scientific papers. She also thoroughly covers the herb's various forms--tinctures, tablets, pastes, powdered extract, and sprays--and suggests appropriate dosages for various treatments (for insomnia, for instance, you'd take a larger dose than if you just wanted to calm yourself before a plane flight). Cass also covers herbs that can be used in combination with kava, including valerian, licorice, and Ginkgo biloba; suggested dietary changes to improve overall mood and health; possible side effects; and techniques for managing stress in the first place, so antianxiety treatments aren't as needed. For anyone who wants to know all about what they're putting into their body, this is a solid primer.

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