Herbs and Roots

“Herbs and Roots is the rare book that would be valuable for people approaching the subject from a variety of backgrounds . . . . [It] is well-researched, well-written, and well worth reading.”—The Watermark

Winner of the Best Subsequent Book Award, sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society

“Fascinating, innovative, and well written. Herbs and Roots provides a comprehensive study of Chinese medicine and its practitioners in the United States, giving us new insights into both race relations and the history of medicine in general.”—Bridie Andrews, author of The Making of Modern Chinese Medicine, 1850-1960

"From a treasure trove of primary sources,Tamara Venit Shelton has crafted an important and original contribution to immigration history, medical and health history, and Asian American history.”—Nancy Tomes, author of Remaking the American Patient

"Herbs and Roots is a captivating historical account of the development of Chinese medicine in the United States—an interesting read with a fine balance of academic rigor and storytelling."—Ka-Kit Hui, MD, FACP Center for East-West Medicine and Center for Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

“Readers will relish this gracefully written volume’s rich contribution to the history of immigration, American medicine, and the trans-Pacific journey of traditional Chinese therapeutics.”—Alan Kraut, author of Silent Travelers: Germs, Genes, and the "Immigrant Menace"

“Herbs and Roots fills a gap in the current historical scholarship on the cultural history of Chinese medicine as actually practiced in Chinese communities in America”—William C. Summers, author of The Great Manchurian Plague of 19101911: The Geopolitics of an Epidemic Disease