Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan

Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan, the highly anticipated book by Professor Gerard Bodeker debuted at a well-attended seminar and book signing event held at Natural Products ExpoWest. Professor Bodeker, a faculty member in Public Health at Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University, has written the first comprehensive study of Ramuan, examining the mingling of Chinese, Indian and Malay natural health and beauty practices. “Early response to Health and Beauty from the Rainforest has been very encouraging,” said Professor Bodeker. “I expect that there will be more than academic interest in the book; it was written for people who would love to know how health, wellness, and beauty is practiced by a culture of rich traditions that many Western health professionals consider to be at the center of new discoveries in this area.” Comprehensive, with a wealth of information about how Malaysia’s most notable herbal practices have developed over thousands of years, Health and Beauty from the Rainforest was developed by a team of Malaysian and international scholars, scientists, physicians, and traditional practitioner led by Professor Bodeker. The beautifully illustrated book provides never-before-revealed insights into unique Malaysian herbal traditions that promote healthy living, including hormonal balance, sexual fitness, beauty, and healthy aging; a particular emphasis is placed on women’s health concerns. “Professor Bodeker’s book is the first full compendium of information on the Malaysian tradition and practice of Ramuan,” said Dr. Joerg Gruenwald, a leading European expert in the field of botanicals and natural products. “Health and beauty professionals will be talking about this book for a long time to come.”

About Health and Beauty from the Rainforest
The first book of its kind, Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan, is a must-have guide on Malaysia’s age-old wisdom in promoting health and enhancing beauty & vigor. Written by a team of Malaysian and international scholars, scientists, physicians and traditional practitioners, it contains a wealth of encyclopedic information about herbal practices from Malaysia’s confluence of Asian cultures, which have developed over thousands of years. Hundreds of lavish color photos highlight the chapters, illustrating a wide range of topics. 256 pages, hardcover. The book is available at, Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide, online at Amazon.com, and via the book’s web site RamuanMalaysian.com, $29.50 plus shipping and tax.

About Professor Gerard Bodeker
Professor Gerard Bodeker, author and editor-in-chief of Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan, is a senior faculty member in Public Health at Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University, New York. Bodeker's doctoral studies were at Harvard University. He researches and advises on international public policy on traditional, complementary & alternative medicine. He has been Chair of the Commonwealth Working Group on Traditional & Complementary Medicine and done work on medicinal plant conservation for the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the UN Food & Agriculture Organization, for which he produced with colleagues a book on Medicinal Plants for Forest Conservation and Healthcare. Bodeker has written extensively on traditional medicine and is the author of six books in this field. He is editor-in-chief of the World Health Organization Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (2005). He published the first on policy and public health aspects of the complementary medicine field in 2007 and, in 2008, co-edited the first book on understanding the global spa industry. He has published numerous scientific articles, including in The Lancet and The British Medical Journal and is founding editor of the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine and an editor of the Oxford University Press journal e-CAM. Professor Bodeker chaired the International Advisory Panel to the Government of Malaysia for the development of the herbal sector, has advised the Malaysian Ministry of Health on research into herbal and complementary medicine, and is international editor of the Malaysian-based publication, the Journal of Tropical Medicinal Plants.