Radiant Health The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs

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With his 20 years of herbal expertise, Ron Teeguarden is the man celebrities rely on to improve their energy, put a glow on their skin, even renew their sexual vigor. Here he's written a fine and thorough introduction to the theory and art of tonic herbs. Anyone who's seen Woody Allen's Alice may be a bit leery, but there's more philosophy and science to these herbs than the hocus-pocus that the uninformed may associate them with. As Teeguarden points out, many of these herbs have been in use for more than 5,000 years.

He first covers the principles of Chinese health--yin and yang; the Three Treasures of life--qi (energy or vitality), jing (essence), and shen (spirit); the five main organ systems; and the Chinese view of the mind-body connection. These concepts may seem a bit out of this world for those accustomed to Western medicine ("Anger damages the liver"; "The kidneys control the skeleton"), but Teeguarden does an excellent job of explaining it all, even for folks who are complete novices when it comes to these Chinese health principles.

Then, using an organized, easy-to-use format and a handy one- to five-star system, he rates various herbs and classifies them according to their antioxidant qualities, ability to support the organs, and other health-promoting properties. Handy bonuses include the pharmaceutical name of each herb, its organ associations, and its taste. There are herbs for helping knee problems and boosting fertility, for improving immunity and reducing stress, even for promoting longevity. The most interesting of the bunch are the ones that you'd assume appeal to Hollywood folk: tonics to promote hair growth, clear the complexion, and prevent jet lag. Teeguarden then reveals the "recipes" or herb combinations for his tonics, some of which have amusing names like "Gecko Rockclimber," "Super Shou Wu Combination" (for fatigue or exhaustion), and "Yanlin's Beauty Formula." There are plenty of mail-order resources for those who can't find these herbs locally, along with a super chart with the Chinese symbols of each herb, the part used, and primary functions. Overall, this is a very helpful, user-friendly reference for anyone wanting to investigate the benefits that herbs and herbal tonics have to offer. --Erica JorgensenThe thyroid is critical to maintaining a normal, healthy body weight. In this first-of-its-kind guide, Dr. Siegal outlines a 28-day self-test designed to identify thyroid malfunction. The program consists of eating a certain healthy percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fat over a 28-day period, while taking weight and temperature measurements. The results are then tracked on a chart provided to monitor thyroid activity. Once an accurate diagnosis is achieved, the weight problem can be brought under control through Dr. Siegals recommended medication and a special eating plan. A groundbreaking book, Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat? is sure to change the lives of millions of readers.

Reader Reviews:

This book is a great description of what could be done, but the tools to do it are not herein. I was hoping this book was going to have more than just herb descriptions, alas it does not.
Some things that the Author forgot and which seem important: dosage for individual herbs (this is pretty important), chinese name of herbs (neither the pin-yin nor the symbol are given). And, in the formulas section (which was the main reason I bought the book) the formulas just list the herbs and not their proportions! WHAT!?! How unhelpful.
To know that herbs are in a formula is great, but it is not a formula without the proporation of ingredients. Although this book has great descriptions of the herbs and their uses, it lacks the implementational aspects which are critical to using the herbs! The truth is: this book is a marketing tool for the Author's herbal supplement line. Be careful...Western medicine is failing people at an alarming rate. The solutions can come from our neighbors to the east. This books answers alot of my questions. I had allways envied the health of the Chinese and Japanese people and wondered what their secrets were. After having tried the herbs and some of the teas , I now know. We can only hope this country will embrace these solutions to make this a better, more disciplined place to live. Thanks Ron...!This book is a continuation on Mr. Teeguardens initial book "Chinese Tonic Herbs". Here again he manages to simplify the complex world of herbs for the layman. Passing on information rare at best within the herbalist communities. "Tonic Formula's" are common but not quite yet here in the west. I hope that with time, they will be as common place in American homes as Asparirn is today. If you are interested in learning a alternative to "post-medicine" care, and would actually like to prevent things from happening, this is your book. I have never read any book that has had such a profound effect upon my life. I can honestly say, without this book and the wisdom within, I would have been on the way out rather then finding life again!!!Ron Teeguarden is a master herbalist with over 20 years of experience. In his easy-to-read book, Ron offers an introduction to the ancient philosophy of radiant health and provides an in-depth information about Chinese tonic herbs, many of which have been in use for over 5 000 years. Ron first covers the theory - principles of Yin and Yang, the Three Treasures of life, and the five main organ systems. Then he describes the individual herbs, complete with pictures and detailed descriptions of their properties, and includes herb combinations and formulas with their specific benefits. The book also includes mail-order resources. Overall, it is a very user-friendly reference, highly recommended to anyone interested in learning how to improve your overall health, increase energy and promote longevity.

I have a personal experience with Ron's herbs - I visited his store in Santa Monica, and based on an advice from his herbalists started using some of his adaptogenic herbs that are described in the book. I was very impressed how quickly I noticed significant improvement in my overall energy and mood! I can't recommend it enough!This is the third book by Ron Teeguarden that I've read and he just keeps getting better. It is laid out in a logical categorical order, which makes it very easy to compare different herbs. Ron has rated the herbs with a star rating that indicates how many treasures each herb will affect. Then he goes on to rate actual patent tonic formulas. It is a wonderful reference book, something you will refer to again and again for information and reinforcement, but it is written in very down to earth layman's language. It has an incredible amount of information, even down to some chemical descriptions and cellular activity, but if you aren't interested in going that deep, the descriptions are arranged so that you can skip whatever you don't want to read and go straight to the pertinent parts. Of all the books on Chinese herbology that I have, this one is quickly becoming my favorite. It's one of those rare books that is good to start with, and it is good to finish out a collection with also.
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