Kaufmans work is by far some of the best research written about this ancient plant medicine in correspondence ...
594032
Dr. Kaufmans work is by far some of the best research written about this ancient plant medicine in correspondence with the potential it holds for healing the ills of modern society and the effects of western hegemony.  While reading you get glimpses into the historical use of this plant medicine as well as a sampling of authentic dialogue from those working with the brew today. This book contains many stories and interviews with ceremony participants whom have worked with this plant medicine on several occasions.  It is a strong body of research which lays out the common themes and experiences had by the individuals interviewed; which then can be applied in the context of healing societal ills.  This work is well done in this way.  This book offers rich dialogue and interviews with experts in the field of plant medicines, with the focus on Ayahuasca, as well as interviews with ceremony leaders and keepers of ritual and ceremony.  After reading this book it becomes clear that Kaufman gives solid research that this plant medicine has the potential to become an agent for individual and social change. Great read and well done!
337696
There is a reason that this book is almost universally referenced in other writings on ayahuasca.  This is an academic style text.  Do not think that you will be entertained and told a story.  The author has approached this text in a manner as thoughtful and academic as anyone can when considering the subject matter.

The good - A statistically significant pool of participants, clearly differentiated participant reports and types, excellent differentiation and description of the many convoluted and hard to describe ayahuasca effects and a forthright and clear description of ayahuasca in traditional and comtemporary settings.

The bad - Not much to say here at all.

The last word - Anyone personally or with a loved one considering using ayahuasca or wanting to find out more about the spirit vine will find this a dry [academic] but highly informative and well considered text.  A valuable and insightful addition to any library.
3872618
I have collected now the entire set, I found Rabbi Joseph, to be a very interesting study - (vol. III is particularly intriguing for it history of the alef-bet notes) R. Albo's plagiarism is well documented however his take on those thoughts is also intermixed with the relation of the information - making this work something extraordinary - a very mystical, logical and explorative evaluation of his understanding of Judaism... he translates what otherwise would be totally Talmudic study into a non-Chassid spread of a banquet containing folklore, science of the day, and the Torah.  He really is amazing to read, I love this set.  Vol. 4 part 1 is the beginning of a collection of narrative on Rewards and Punishments.  I found it to be an interesting read just for the insights into his times and though not just the way it was laid out as 'the laws and their implementation'.  If one should be so fortunate as to have access to a copy of even this tome, do buy it.  You will not be sorry you did.  Dr. Husik I believe did a masterful job of text copy (Hebrew) and English translation.
575507
This is the book I wish I had written!!

It is simply one of the most fascinating and pracitical books on Traditional Chinese medicine to heve emerged in recent years. As Dr Wang himself said to his student and collaborator Jason D Robertson, you should not write "just another boring text book..."  And that wish has certainly been fulfilled. This book is an exciting read, that draws together both the wisdom of the classics with current clinical practice. The text is very much alive, written as a conversational dialectic between Dr Wang and Jason D, in the time-honoured tradition of Huang Di and his physician Qi Bo, in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. It addresses and repairs many of holes that the Cultural Revolution blew in Chinese Medicine and firmly 're-embodies' acupuncture energetics within the reality of the channel networks.  Well done! Bravo! Gong Xi!
323264
Whether you accept the author's thesis as to how and why the Great Pyramid (Kufu's) of Giza was built, this is an outstanding book. There are so many books and articles written about the pyramids of Egypt and especially the Great Pyramid that the book shelves of many a scholar and library must be beginning to sag at this point. And yet...there it stands, high on the Giza plateau directly across from Cairo to confound the world by its very existence. And it's not the only one. Two more along side it, the middle one putatively dedicated to Chephren son of Kufu (Cheops) and the third to Mycerinus, are also worthy of detailed consideration. After an excellent forward by David Childress recounting the various and many theories regarding the purpose, orientation, age, and particularly the method of construction of the Great Pyramid, we are led into an oversized book with 44 chapters and some of the most beautiful color photography and drawings I have ever seen. This book is an intellectual and visual treat par excellence and is actually far more than just the Great Pyramid. It needs to be read and digested slowly as well as perused at one's leisure. For anyone who is or was interested in and enticed by Ancient Egypt and the Great Pyramid of Giza this book is for you.  An absolute must. It also deserves an A+ for the way the book was produced, printed, and bound.
Very highly recommended for both scholars and laymen alike.
4669800
The ancient Sumerians, particularly prior to the unification of the Sumerian city-states by Sargon of Akkad and the rise of the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires, are a fascinating people to study for their wholly pragmatic and spiritual worldviews.  In many ways their contributions represent the birth of civilization, yet the scholarship on them is all over the place in terms of quality.  Kramer does an excellent job of examining the primary source evidence, having done a wealth of original research himself, and providing evidence-based analyses of Sumerian cultural achievements, particularly in the areas of language, medicine, and education.  The lack of postmodern trash academic gobbledygook jargon is also refreshing.

Kramer has an incredible eye for and love of detail, which is both a strength and a weakness in the prose.  When the details he uses to support his analyses are themselves interesting, the work is at its greatest value.  However, when he includes details on a topic just for the sake of including them, such as in his historiographical treatment of Sumerian archaeological, linguistic, and historical scholarship going back several centuries, one's mind starts to wander.  You can pretty much skip that whole section at the beginning of the book unless you're really, really, really interested in every major and minor contribution made by every academic on Sumerian scholarship.

I recommend this work for anyone interested in learning more about these ancient peoples, from ancient history neophytes to the well-read.
4913534
Dr. Kaptchuk has become a Mecca of acupuncture writing in the West. A wonderful writer of limpid and encyclopedic research, this book contains within it the densest forest of TCM research evidence (basic science and outcomes research) ever assembled. Acupuncture not only garners the attention of the world as a vitalistic philosophy of health but also in terms of pain and pain control. It has been shown repeatedly that acupuncture is effective in treating pain; it works 70% to 85% of the time, far greater than the placebo, which only has about 30% efficiency. Dr. Kaptchuk, of Harvard University, has offered detailed summaries of modern research into the potential mechanisms of acupuncture. The Web That Has No Weaver is the classic, comprehensive guide on the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. This accessible and invaluable resource has earned its place as the foremost authority in the synthesizing of Western and Eastern healing practices. I learned more in several weeks of reading this powerful textbook than I had in years of study before. Wonderful and highly recommended!

-- Dr. Scott Cuthbert, author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Applied-Kinesiology-Essentials-The-Missing-Link-in-Health-Care/dp/0988745216/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Applied Kinesiology Essentials: The Missing Link in Health Care</a>&nbsp;(2013), and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Applied-Kinesiology-Clinical-Techniques-for-Lower-Body-Dysfunctions/dp/0988745208/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Applied Kinesiology: Clinical Techniques for Lower Body Dysfunctions</a>&nbsp;(2013).
766432
This is a most unique book among the Ayurvedic texts today as it is written by a physician in a language that medical doctors and nurses can readily understand. In the past I have had conversations with doctors interested in learning about Ayurveda but could not connect the dots between the two languages. Dr. Conte's book achieves this to a great extent.

Also, Dr. Conte studied and became certified in Ayurveda through my School of Ayurveda at the International Vedic Institute and I was his mentor when he was going for his Ayurvedic Ph. D. when he wrote this book. He was a top student because he so loves learning the deeper insights into healing through in many modalities. I am very proud to see his most excellent book on Ayurveda.
3215126
This is a fascinating well written work.  Very little new ground is broken here but the mustering and mining of other resources is extremely valuable.  The extent of Freud's facility with Jewish sources is little known and appreciated by most given Freud's own attempts to conceal this for fear of psychoanalysis being labelled a "Jewish science."  While some of the author's analogies are a bit tortured. this is a book that will give both the layman and the professional an appreciation of the core concepts of both kabbalah and chassidut and their secular application in healing the psyche.
3619841
The book was beautifully structured and beautifully written: Anita Sanchez talks about the dandelion's arrival in the New World and its transition from a valued medicinal plant and foodstuff to a weed. She also covers about the dandelion's actual biology--how it grows, how it disperses seeds, the things that make it unique. She has a chapter about Culpepper, who wrote The English Physician in the 1650s, a work that championed folk wisdom and cures in a time when "learned physicians... jealously guarded their knowledge, shrouding medicine in a veil of Latin and Greek incomprehensible to the layperson." Culpepper valued the dandelion. And Sanchez concludes by talking about the problem of the dandelion as a nonnative, imported plant (and concludes that although it's an import, it's not an invasive--it doesn't displace native plants) and urges people to hold off on poisoning it, as the pesticides that people use are so harmful for the environment (and she offers nontoxic methods of getting rid of dandelions if you absolutely can't tolerate them). And she has recipes to try.

I was predisposed to like dandelions anyway, but Sanchez's The Teeth of the Lion has made me a stalwart dandelion apostle. I recommend this book for anyone who likes Michael Pollan's work or who likes thoughtful essays on topics of natural history and the environment.
3520737
We all must appreciate, congratulate and thank him for writing this book; for I feel this is one of the finest books written on this ancient topic. The content in this is NECTAR. It flows all through the pages evenly. He takes us through the journey very smoothly and explains everything in detail that even a child can understand the in-depth meaning of this rich treasure. He has not written even a single word extra nor did he miss one. Very simple English, which engages the reader right, till the end. I don't think anyone can be so humble to share these ancient secrets to the outside world, without expecting anything in return.
410822
What an informative, interesting and well done work this is!  First though, please note that Amazon seems to have mixed their books up just a bit with this title.  I note that when I typed in the title of the book I was taken to a work of only 32 pages which seems to be some sort of teachers guide to the actually book being reviewed here.  The one I have is 117 pages and the text is supplemented with some very nice black and white photographs. If you order this book, take care that you are ordering the correct one.  Now, that being said...

This book, while geared for the younger reader, i.e. the young adult, it is actually quite an interesting read for anyone interested in mummies, and let's face it, who isn't?  Kids flock to books of this subject and I know many adults who have quite extensive libraries covering such matters.  This work is quite appropriate for the adult reader who has a curiosity concerning the subject but does not want to get bogged down in an 800 page book on the history of Egypt.  No, the information here is pretty basic but on the other hand I have seldom seen a youth reader that is packed with more accurate information that this little volume.

The author has addressed the burial practices of several ancient civilizations with the emphasis placed on the mummification of the remains after death.  Of course Egypt plays a prominent role in this work, but the author has also given us a fascinating look at ancient South American cultures, the Bog People of Europe and Native Americans of the Southwest.  Ms. Lauber even addresses "shrunken heads; how they are made and why.  Knowing a bit about this subject (the mummification process, not shrinking heads), I can attest to the fact that the author has done a wonderful job on her research and has accomplished an amazing task in separating fact from fiction and legend.

The text of this work is very nicely done and is easy to read while at the same time not being one bit condescending toward her younger readers.  Facts are given, accurate facts, in a nonacademic way which will be quite appealing to all who take the time to read it.  The author has supplied a large number of quality black and white photographs of various mummies from around the world and from different eras and cultures.  I was gratified that the emphasis was placed on scientific research and not on a bunch of tall tales usually associated with this subject.  Great emphasis is places on the analysis of the data received through the study of these ancient bodies.  How did the people live, what was their diet, how did they die, what methods were used to preserve the human body for thousands of years and why was this process done?  I was also gratified that the author has taken several unflattering shots at grave robbers throughout history and amateur archeologists who have rather mucked things up for the past several hundred years.  Tomb raiders are not on this author's popularity list...with no insult to Laura Croft, I am sure.

For those young people who are into the study of ancient civilizations this work is a wonderful supplement to any reading or study program.  I have to admit that I picked up some pretty nifty bits of trivia here and there and received a bit of an education myself.

An interesting read and I do recommend this one highly.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
279372
With the publication of the massive editio princeps, "The Ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth" (2005) by Professors Richard Jasnow & Karl-Theodor Zauzich [see my Amazon review], Professor Brian P. Copenhaver's treatise (1992) is a much demanded text in the library of anyone choosing to study Late Egyptian culture and/or the Corpus Hermetica.

This treatise is not New Age nonsense; it is superb ancient Greek scholarship. After the publication of Garth Fowden's treatise, "The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind (1986), it was felt in the scholarly arcane world of Egyptology that the magical book of Thothic wisdom was needed.

Those who have been bred on classical scholarship in their youth, Greek & Latin, will enjoy its pertinent attention to philological details.

This book must be purchased and added to your classical library, if you possess a morsel of self-respect in your self-conscious identity as a competent scholar of ancient languages.

This book is the real deal---it does not pander to the vulgar taste of mediocre minds!  It is an ansolute delight to read, study and contemplate.  How was the Age of Magic formulated after the great achievements in Greek science, mathematics & technology from the Sixth to Third Century BCE [Before the Common Era]?  It was this magical mentality (a regression in the advancement of human thought) that slowly dominated which permitted the vulgar Age of Christianity to arise.  A study of Egyptian Magical culture from 200 BCE to CE 300 tells the tale!

John E.D.P. Malin,
Lafayette, Louisiana
4063855
Gaby presents a life's work of carefully researched and clinically grounded data on the use of OTC and other nutriceutical agents in this tour de force. Published in 2011 this up-to-date and accurately referenced text cites empirical studies on the use of supplements and non-prescription herbs and medications to treat a vast array of medical problems. This is no "here's what I have seen be helpful" text - Gaby presents the published empirical data from legitimate medical journals and then carefully distinguishes his anecdotal clinical experience from these and makes reasonable suggestions that devolve from both. Gaby provides an amazing compendium of references that parallels Harrison's or Cecil's Textbooks of Internal Medicine. I have found it immensely helpful in my practice (I graduated AOA from U-Michigan Med School and was in academic medicine for 10 years after fellowship training. .). Well done - brilliant work and without equal that I am aware of.
799628
This is one of my favorite books. It brings to the general public scientific knowledge in a digestible way. And yet, the language is not simplistic. This is a must-read for those interested in our ancient roots and how the world we know today grew out of ancient human migrations.
567690
Erich von Fange (my uncle) has tirelessly been on the trail of the book of Genesis for most of his life. Over a period of several years I spent a number of out of state weekends with him to discuss his research. His card catalog with oversized index cards (40+ years worth) had his own punch indexing scheme which sidestepped the need for computer support throughout the microprocessor revolution years. He is now in his latter years, having donated most of his substantial library, including his prized Journal of the Victorian Institute collection. I have put off this review far too long.

In his books Erich tackles a very tough subject, i.e. if the bible is to be taken as it stands, what about its content which crosses paths with classical archaeology, anthropology, and paleontology (and others). Despite tantalizing and even fascinating parallels, there are many problems in finding correlation between the bible and science, and I expect many of these will never be completely resolved.

Erich's work had a predominantly survey style, i.e. to provide an introduction into the vast literature. For a non research oriented person to be aware of at least some of the parallels between the bible and science without a dependence on television presentations can be most rewarding. Erich has provided a unique and invaluable service to the christian community in that an individual could spend a lifetime just collecting the relevant data. In Search of the Genesis World, as well as From Noah to Abram and his earlier works, have been great resources to me as I have investigated this area for myself.

In Search of the Genesis World and From Noah to Abram both bring out the authority of the bible as an ancient document. Points of correlation between science and the bible are brought out in such subjects as: advanced metallurgy and hard rock milling; advanced agricultural and astronomic techniques; dinosaur and mammal remains found together; the great flood and subsequent ice age; a detailed genealogy of the nations; worldwide similarity in many aboriginal oral traditions; human artifacts where they should not be; and so forth.

Proverbs 25:1-2 - It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.
1451663
I bought this book shortly after it was published and to this day, I still refer to it.  A few years later I was privileged to study many of the healers discussed in these pages with Dr. Krippner in Brazil.  It was every bit as amazing as reading about it for the first time.  The accounts are factual, described in detail, and skillfully written with academic objectivity.  If you are reading this you are probably open to the experiences described in the book but it may lead you as it did in my case, much deeper into the world of healing, alternative medicine, shamanism and good magic.
Carlisle Bergquist, Author of "The Coyote Oak: Burgeoning Wisdom"
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Coyote-Oak-Burgeoning-Wisdom/dp/0979175062/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Coyote Oak: Burgeoning Wisdom</a>