Herbal medications have been used for hundreds of years to treat human ailments. In most
parts of the world they remain an important treatment-if not the only treatment availableto …

Two conditions greatly encourage the folk use of plants to cure diseases and alleviate
ailments:∘ plant biodiversity (the richer the better)∘ particular cultural traits of local …

Mal aire (bad air), mal viento (bad wind), susto and espanto (fright), mal ojo (evil eye) and
envidia (envy) are seen as very common illnesses in Andean society. The Western concept …

Plants regarded as sacred or magical, which function as intermediaries between a person
and his deity, have proved to contain psychoactive agents and therefore have been a source …

For the Matsigenka of the Peruvian Amazon, health and well-being in daily life depend upon
harmonious relationships within the social group and with the spirit world. Psychoactive …

The pharmaceutical industry exploits traditional remedies for the development of new drugs,
especially chasing for unusual molecules with interesting and innovative mechanisms of …

While traditional systems of alternative medicine are widely patronized in developing
countries because the availability and affordability of allopathic medical services is poor …

The nineteen selections are divided into five sections, each of which deals with a different
aspect of traditional medicine. The first section of the book contains three very good chapters …

Ethnopharmacological relevance Indigenous groups of the Amazon have developed
intricate methods for the application of psychoactives, among which particularly the dieta or …

52 Herbal Medicines for Neuropsychiatric Diseases istration (FDA) regulatory requirements
pose additional barriers to development, since proof of the safety and efficacy of each …