ADVANCED WESTERN MATERIA MEDICA PROGRAM
Skill Set: An expanded knowledge of 150 herbs, considerations for safety and drug-herb interactions, and ways to combine them in unique individualized formulas for patients.
Background
The study of herbal materia medica, the plants that we use in practice, is a life-long process. We may originally learn a few facts about an herb, and begin to use it. But our education is never complete. It may even be that the study of a single herb could require many months or even years to learn everything useful about it. I learned this principle from one of my mentors, Dr John Bastyr ND, who now has a university named after him, He was in the habit of reading and studying materia medica every evening before going to bed, over a career of more than 50 years. In this course sequence you will deepen your knowledge of materia medica, herbal actions, methods of combining herbs, and the safety aspects of herbs, essential oils, and more.
Advanced herbal actions and formulation See full description
Any combination of two herbs will convey the actions of each of the herbs, but may also produce a synergy so as to create an entirely new medicine. The study of pairing and simple combinations is the foundation of effective and flexible formulation. This course begins by simplifying and clarifying the concepts of herbal actions, which today are a cacophany of terms which resembles the state of language after the fall of the Tower of Babel. You will then learn the principles of moving from simple herb, to pair or triplet, and ultimately to complex patient-tailored formula, adjusted for totality of clinical effect and tailored to the patient constitution.
Materia Medica Intensive See full description
Three veteran medical herbalists, with a combined clinical experience of more than 75 years, were given the task to “start talking about the herbs where everyone else stops” over four days of an advanced seminar. You will learn special uses of herbs, new categories, humoral and energetic considerations, differentials between similar herbs, and other advanced, practical, and experience-based information.
Herbal Safety Seminar See full description
Although harm caused by herbal medicines is uncommon, any herb strong enough to act as a medicine may also have an adverse effect if given for the wrong condition, the wrong patient, in the wrong dose, or at the wrong time. In the modern era, even an otherwise harmless herb may cause harmful interaction with a prescription or over-the-counter drug with risks and dangers of its own. In this course you will learn the principles of herbal toxicity and drug-herb interactions, the possible side effects or harms caused by 35 of the most important medicinal herbs, and the toxicology of essential oils. Also included is a section on “the fragile patient” and the need to use gentler herbs in lower doses for elders, children, or patients who are weak
Working with the Heavy Cannabis User See full description
Based on a review of the details of 40 case histories of heavy Cannabis users (4-10 doses per day), and a review of the scientific literature on the subject, we describe the most common clinical presentations, including chief complaints, side effects, withdrawal effects, tolerance, dependence, including effectiveness for the condition being treated in cases of a medical prescription.
Herbs for the Spiritual Heart See full description
This category from traditional healing systems refers to the effects of herbs on mental and psychological states of stress, agitation, disconnectedness, and trauma. We review the concepts and traditional materia medica, including the recent development of Western herbs with these actions.