training

Proficiency in herbal medicine diploma course

Herbal Medicine course description and expected applicants 

The Herbal Medicine course will be of immense benefit to enhance the career path for traditional medicine practitioners, wellness multi-level marketers, and anyone (including medical doctors, pharmacists, community health extension workers, medical scientists, nurses and the general public) keen on developing a career in herbal medicine.

Enrollment requirements:

It is open to all students with science education backgrounds. Consideration may be given to others based on their experience.

Please note that it is not compulsory to have previous experience in herbal medicine or professional qualifications for you to be enrolled in this course.

This course is solely based on African/Nigerian Herbal Medicine knowledge, the basic theory, pharmacognosy, therapeutic constituents in herbs, preparation of herbal formulas, prescribing and dosages, curative herbs for many diseases as well as obtaining tried and tested formulas that have been used successfully in clinical practice over many years.

The training will model a variety of effective learning methodologies, which include:

1. Relevant videos
2. Relevant documents and books
3. Class exercises and discussions.
4. Practical sessions of Medicinal Plant Identification Tour (which is aimed at identifying plants in their natural habitats)

These are targeted towards effective learning for the participants.

Course Duration:

9 months (depends on the level of experience in the course).

Training Venue:

Onsite (At our training facility) and online (Zoom, Gmail, Connect, or Google meets)

Course Form and Fee:

Kindly contact us. You can also reach us by using the WhatsAp icon below.

The Awarding Institution and Licensing Board is Mahc Tradomedicals And Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board.

 

What is herbal medicine? 

Herbal medicine, also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine, refers to using any plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.

Modern research is bringing herbal medicine into mainstream therapies as more and more research shows its value in the treatment and prevention of diseases.

This course will provide enough information on herbal formulas that have been successfully used in clinical practice. Early bird enrollees will be able to immediately implement these formulas in their clinical practice.

 

Training Structure

There are 30 modules in this course that will be taken in consecutive order. It is therefore advised that participants should begin from the first module and continue in that order until all modules are completed.

Each module acts as a prerequisite to the succeeding module following. Each facilitator will provide teaching materials and at the end of the training. An assessment will be conducted at the end of this course to determine participants’ level of understanding and participation during the training.

There will also be project work from each student which will be herbal products development. Each student will present his/her product and discuss the production processes, materials, phytochemicals, contraindications, dosage or administration, side effects, therapeutic functions, etc of the product developed.

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1 – A Brief History of Herbal Medicine:

Participants will learn about traditional medicine history in Africa and Nigeria with the three major tribes in focus (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba).

Module 2– Philosophy and Principles of Herbal Medicine:

This topic involves the study of the main philosophical premise behind herbal medicine, its origin, how it works, the risks, and effectiveness, as well as the clinical studies. Discussions on standards and quality control, as well as the dangers of extinction, will be started and reviewed.

The different methods of understanding the wide variety of herbs, including their chemical constituents and actions, will be engaged.

Module 3– Herbal Preparation and Dosages:

This module covers the various herbal preparations for powders, tinctures, extracts, infusions, boluses, compresses, poultices, baths, electuaries, ointments, oils, vinegar, salves, vapour inhalation, fresh, and dried herbs. We will discuss dosage preparation for various age groups and their routes of administration. 

Relevant videos will be available to buttress this aspect of learning.

Module 4 – Herbal Materia Medica:

Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing. Simply put, Materia Medica is Latin for ‘Medical Material.’

The module covers the Materia Medica of over 700 herbs and their uses.

Module 5 – Herbal Pharmacognosy:

Pharmacognosy is “the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin and the search for new drugs from natural sources.” This module looks at the origin of pharmacognosy; the primary, and secondary actions of herbs, as well as the active chemical constituents.

The chemical structure of flavonoids and anthocyanins, and their metabolism, bioavailability and disease prevention are examined.

Module 6 – Herbalism Philosophy and Science:

In this module, the concepts of health, ecological healing, allopathy, phytotherapy, co-evolutionary mutualism, controlled studies and the science behind evaluating herbs are discussed.

Module 7 – Classification of Medicinal Plants:

The common ways in which plants are classified using the Linnaean system of classification will be discussed, as well as the naming nomenclature used in modern herbal medicine.

Module 8 – A Brief Introduction to Phytochemistry:

This module will examine concepts such as normalizer and effector herbs, primary and secondary metabolism in plants and various functional groups in phytochemistry and their structure and actions.

Module 9 – Carbohydrates:

This is the study of carbohydrates found in herbs, their classification, function, and therapeutic actions.

Module 10 – Lipids:

This module looks at the study of Lipids in plants, their function, structure, and therapeutic actions.

Module 11 – Terpenes:

This is the study of terpenes or isoprenoids, the largest group of plant metabolites. Their classification, general properties, functions, pharmacological activity, toxicity and therapeutic actions are examined extensively.

Module 12 – Polyphenols:

This module examines the polyphenols found in plants, their major functions, herbal activities, classification, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential.

Module 13 – Pharmacology:

This is an advanced level of herbal pharmacognosy studied in modules 5 and 8. Will examine the concepts of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, enzymes, up-regulation and down-regulation, bioavailability and biotransformation, oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and immunomodulation.

Module 14 – Toxicity, Contraindications and Safety:

Examines the importance of toxicity, safety, drug bioavailability, LD50, therapeutic index (TI), threshold effect, and the safety of herb preparations.

Module 15 – The Formulation and Preparation of Herbal Medicines:

This module looks at preparing herbal medicines and the concepts of extraction, maceration, digestion, percolation and other related material to correctly preparing a variety of herbal medicines.

Module 16 – A Model of Holistic Herbal Medicine:

This module discusses a model that the practitioner can use to identify and address a whole range of factors, from symptoms and pathology to constitutional differences and the whole body toning.

Module 17 – The Digestive System:

Here we will examine the role that herbal medicine plays in the treatment of the digestive system; including the treatment of flatulence, constipation, diarrhoea, aphthous ulcers, periodontal disease, oesophagitis and gastro-oesophageal reflux (GERD), gastritis, peptic ulcer, hiatus hernia, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, jaundice, chronic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis and haemorrhoids.

Module 18 – The Cardiovascular System:

This module looks at European cardiovascular tonics and other herbs for the following cardiovascular problems: cholesterol, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, peripheral arterial occlusive disease and varicose veins.

Module 19 – The Respiratory System:

In this module, we examine how herbal medicine can be used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as dyspnoea, cough, acute and chronic bronchitis, pertussis, asthma, emphysema, common cold, influenza, hay fever, sinusitis, laryngitis and tonsillitis.

Module 20 – The Nervous System:

This module examines using herbal medicine nervines in the treatment of stress and neural diseases such as anxiety, acute and chronic stress, depression, insomnia, withdrawal from benzodiazepines, anorexia nervosa, headache, migraine, neuritis, tinnitus, motion sickness and shingles.

Module 21–The Urinary System:

Here we examine using herbs in the treatment of the urinary system for dysuria, haematuria, oedema, cystitis and urinary calculi.

Module 22–The Reproductive System:

In this module, we examine the herbs that can treat the male and female reproductive system, such as amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, pre-menstrual syndrome, menopause, morning sickness, threatened miscarriage and other complications in pregnancy, postpartum depression, mastitis, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease and benign prostate hypertrophy.

Module 23 – The Musculoskeletal System:

Here we look at the role that herbal medicine plays in the treatment of rheumatic disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, myalgia, osteoporosis, bursitis, tendinitis, and restless legs syndrome.

Module 24 – The Skin:

In this module, we will see how herbs can be used in the treatment of a variety of skin diseases such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and acne.

Module 25 – The Immune System:

The concepts of immuno-modulation and immunostimulation and the phototherapeutic approach to the immune system will be discussed. These include immunodeficiency diseases, hypersensitivity reactions, auto-immune diseases, and general support protocols.

Module 26 – The Endocrine System:

This module focuses on the role herbal medicine plays in balancing and treating the endocrine system, such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus and imbalances of the adrenal glands.

Module 27 – Phytotherapy and the Elderly:

The effectiveness of herbs in toning and nurturing the health of elders, as well as the prevention and treatment of diseases in elders, will be discussed.

Module 28 – Phytotherapy and Children:

Children can benefit from herbal medicine in the treatment of a variety of childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, colic, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, otitis media, attention deficit disorder, diaper rash, cradle cap, and impetigo. These topics will be discussed extensively in this module.

Module 29 – Phytotherapy and Pregnancy:

This module examines how certain herbs can help the birth process, including labour, while someone must strictly avoid other herbs as they can cause miscarriages and other complications.

Module 30 – Online Herbal Research:

In this module, you will find a wide variety of resources that will enable you to research individual herbs and formulations in a lot more depth, as well as other herbal medicine topics.

Herbal Medicine is an inexhaustible course, so there are many other topics not mentioned in these modules that will be discussed.

Additional information:

Lagos State College Of Health Technology has a similar course for those who have a Science background (5 credits in Math, English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics in WAEC, GCE or NECO).

For further clarification on this training, kindly contact us. You can also reach using the WhatsApp icon below.