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My Favourite Traditional Chinese Medicine Books

Here's a peek at some of my favourite herb books on my bursting bookshelves! Many of these books can be bought or sourced from any good bookstore like Borders, Popular, Kinokuniya and MPH.

I refer to these books a lot as they're full of information and one read cannot glean them all. Books by DK (www.dk.com) or Dorling Kindersley are fantastic - they come with colour photos and that's always helpful when I am trying to figure out which herb is which!

Slowly build up your books on TCM and herbs as there are plenty out there. Get them with hardcover if you can - they're sturdier and last longer because you will be referring to them a lot in your study of herbs off and on.

I started collecting these books about 5 years ago and am still slowly building up a collection. I cross-refer when I am unsure (and refer online when I am really stumped!). But books, unlike websites, can be picked up anytime for a quick perusal. Switching on my laptop takes much longer!

If you have a good book on TCM, please share with me!

Secrets of Chinese Herbal Medicine
By Penelope Cody (2001)
Published by DK Books
*Small and compact, easy to refer to. Full of colour photos and quick for a refresher on popular herbs. Bought this in Kinokuniya KLCC many years ago!

Chinese Herbal Secrets
By Stefan Chmelik (1999)
Published by Avery Group
* A large book but again, full of enjoyable colour photos. The illustrations are good too.

Practical Chinese Medicine
By Penelope Cody (2000)
Published by Godsfield Press
* Always a handy reference, Cody writes well and explains in detail. Much recommended.

Chinese Food System for Health & Healing
By Henry C. Lu (2000)
Published by Pelanduk
* A bit complicated and hard to understand. Needs some mental workout but good list of hot/cold food categories.

The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness
By Misha Ruth Cohen (1996)
Published by Perigee Books

New Cantonese Cooking: Classic and Innovative Recipes from China's Haute Cuisine
By Eileen Yin-Fei Lo (1988)
Published by Viking Group
* An old book I found at a garage sale going for a song! Full of real Cantonese recipes.

Longevity: The Tao of Eating and Healing
By Aileen Yeoh (1989)
Published by Times Books
* My first book...a bit pricey but a good reference, always. Aileen is Malaysian by the way.

Herbal Secrets for Total Health
By Letha Hadady (1996)
Published by Vermilion

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi
Thanks for your nice comment about my book. In America Herbal Secrets is called Asian Health Secrets. I have written several other books available at my website: www.asianhealthsecrets.com and amazon.com. My website also has health news, recipes and New York Asian restaurant reviews.
My other books are Personal Renewal, Healthy Beauty, and my latest book is FEED YOUR TIGER: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health (Rodale). I hope you enjoy it. I also love soups!
best wishes, Letha Hadady
www.asianhealthsecrets.com
www.myspace.com/lethahadady
Krista Goon said…
Hi Letha
Hey, thanks for sharing your websites with me. I enjoyed your book and it was one of my earliest books too. I shall look out for your latest book at Borders. ;-)
TC Lai said…
Hi,
Here are a couple of books on TCM that you might want to add to your library. I started a while back but got more active searching for health tonics for my little girl who often gets a cough when she is weak from an illness.
1. Good for English Lang readers: Chinese System of Food Cures by Henry C Lu. A good grounding book on many aspects of TCM foodcures. Lu has also a lovely collection of TCM cures packaged into a long-stem box set. Beautiful as a gift, but not so accessible in content. Was last seen at Popular Bookstore(Jurong East branch here)
2. Therapeutic Cures for All Ages - by Mak Chung Man. A four-book set with one for Children, Men, Women and the Old.

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