Educational objectives of the program.

General objectives for the Therapeutic Herbalism degree:

I. Acquire a comprehensive knowledge of:

• the principles of health and wellness;
• materia medica (the study of individual herbs);
• herbal pharmacology;
• physiology as it applies to therapeutic herbalism;
• the principles of herbal pharmacy (herbal preparation);
• quality, safety, and efficacy issues in herbal medicine;
• the principles of herbal therapeutics including rationale and formulation.

II. Acquire a basic knowledge of:

• the roots of contemporary Western herbalism with a focus on North American medicine in the 18th to early 20th century;
• other non-Western systems of herbal medicine;
• the impact of herb harvesting on natural plant communities;
• modern research methodology.

III. Be able to:

• Find, comprehend and utilize modern and traditional primary literature relevant to the field of herbalism;
• Generate balanced evidence-based summaries of herb-related information;
• Apply critical thinking skills in creating herbal formulations that address generic health and wellness needs;
• Evaluate the quality of raw herb materials and commercially available herbal products;
• Identify herbs in nature, harvest plants ethically and make simple herbal preparations.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students who complete this program will:

I. Demonstrate an understanding of therapeutic herbalism that integrates traditional knowledge and wisdom, pharmacology and the modern clinical evidence-base

• Demonstrate an understanding of traditional systems of Western herbalism that influence contemporary practice
• Demonstrate an understanding of physiological processes relevant to health and wellness and the pharmacological and clinical evidence for herbs affecting these processes
• Demonstrate an understanding of basic phytochemistry as well as the relevance of phytochemistry to a traditional and modern understanding of herbal therapeutics
• Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of processing practices on the therapeutic value of herbs

II. Demonstrate the knowledge and competencies necessary for a variety of herbal careers

• Know how to work in the natural products industry, academic institutions and related areas as educators, writers and consultants
• Know how to critically analyze herbal research and contribute to the current body of herbal literature
• Know how to integrate knowledge of raw materials, formulation and herbal pharmacy for product development purposes
• Know how to communicate and interact effectively with other health and wellness professionals

III. Be able to effectively educate individuals and groups about herbs

• Be able to demonstrate basic skills in herb identification, harvesting and preparation
• Be able to communicate the potential benefits of using herbs
• Be able to address potential safety concerns including herb-drug interactions,
• Be able to develop generic herbal protocols for supporting health and wellness and provide a rationale based on traditional practices and the modern evidence-base