Mending the Web of Life: Chinese Medicine and Species Conservation
An important new book for students and practitioners of Chinese medicine addresses the urgent need for conservation of our medicinal materials.
Mending the Web of Life: Chinese Medicine and Species Conservation, by Elizabeth Call, Sandra Altherr, Robert A. Blanchette, Sandra Cleva, Sarah Foster, Grace Ge Gabriel, Jean Giblette, Andrea Heydlauff, and Michael Spencer (Mary Maruca, Managing Editor) has just been published by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). Ted Kaptchuk wrote the preface and Andy Gamble translated a portion of the Ling Shu which frames sections of the book.
The book will be distributed to the colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in the U.S. To obtain your own copy, see http://www.mendingtheweb.com/.
This publication introduces several subject areas which must become basic to the education of Chinese medicine practitioners. The book is also of interest to conservationists and others interested in the endangered animals and plants used in the Chinese materia medica. The book begins with an overview of international conservation agreements, the concepts of sustainable use and identification and nomenclature, and their impact on the trade of endangered medicinal species. Then, by using philosophical concepts of the medicine itself as a motivation for protection, a paradigm for conservation is outlined, one that can be understood and supported by practitioners of Chinese medicine from any culture or country.
Mending the Web of Life also presents profiles that include the distribution, biology, threats and conservation strategies of these species, which will enable the reader to appreciate them beyond their medicinal use as unique and valuable life forms in their own right.
The book also provides the results of a peer reviewed, nationwide survey of practitioners on substitutions and replacements for these species in traditional formulas. There is a chapter on the importance of cultivation in conserving medicinal plant species, and also on United States Laws and Treaties that govern their import or export.
Finally, there is a list of suggested actions the reader can take that will instill hope and a sense of direction for medicinal species conservation. Ultimately, the model for protection outlined in Mending the Web of Life can be applied to any species threatened by extinction and helps humans gain perspective on their responsibility in preserving biodiversity for the health and well being of all life on Earth.
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