Phytomedicine 18 (2011) 1291

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Phytomedicine
journal homepage: www.elsevier.de/phymed

Book review
Handbook of Chinese Medicinal Plants
Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, two volumes, Weici Tang,
Gerhard Eisenbrand with the collaboration of K.-H. Merz, I.
Hemm. 1282 pp. Wiley-VCH Verlag, 69469 Weinheim, ISBN 9783-527-32226-8.
In the last two decades, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
has more and more been appreciated as a rich source for novel
lead structures with promise for the development of new therapies, including parasitic, inammatory, cognitive, malignant and
other diseases. The authors are highly experienced specialists, having published already a rst comprehensive monograph on herbal
TCM medications back in 1992. This pioneering book was received
with great attention (Chinese Drugs of Plant Origin, Springer)
because it strictly followed rational, science-based characterization
of compounds and mechanisms.
The present two-volume handbook, covering scientic literature up to 2009, follows the same systematics, focussing on
chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and biomolecular mechanisms, reecting the immense gain in knowledge witnessed in the
last decades in this area. It describes 230 selected herbal items,
illustrated with excellent plant drawings meticulously prepared
by Weici Tang. Most of the herbs are listed in Vol. I of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia devoted to TCM medications (Pub. 2005), but
related medications are also included for comprehensive information. Thus, the two volumes describe about 400 (sub)species

0944-7113/$ see front matter

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2011.08.062

with about 3000 chemicals and 1500 structures of active

ingredients supported by chemical, pharmacological and toxicological data and last but not least backed by some 8000 literature
citations.
It is of great value that the authors not only comprehensively
describe based on solid scientic grounds pharmacological proles with underlying mechanisms but also give due attention to
toxicology, especially with respect to mutagenic and potentially
carcinogenic or tumour promoting properties of TCM agents. The
authors underscore that such risks still exist for certain TCM medications and strongly suggest to rely on thorough risk-benet
assessment in cases where the use of such medications is still considered.
Altogether, this two volume handbook provides excellent and
comprehensive up to date science-based information on TCM
medications in a very well written and easy-to-follow way. This
handbook may well become the standard reference for medicinal
chemists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, pharmacists and medical
doctors interested in TCM, for whom it is highly recommended.
The Wiley-VCH publishers deserve the highest praise for the
excellent layout of the two volumes in its readily accessible alphabetized format.
Fritz H. Kemper (Prof. Dr. H.c. mult.)
Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt Mnster,
Domagkstrae 11, 48149 Mnster, Germany
E-mail address: kemperf@uni-muenster.de