Resveratrol in Health and Disease. B. Aggarwal and S. Shishodia, eds. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2006, 712 pp., $199.95, hardcover. ISBN 0-8493-3371-7.

In little more than a decade, resveratrol has advanced from an obscure constituent of Oriental folk medicine to a wonder drug that, according to the authors of the 27 chapters in this volume, inhibits carcinogenesis as well as actual tumors; protects against cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and anti-inflammatory diseases as well as radiation damage; and displays antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. These beneficial effects...