HRB-654B: Herb Pharm & Phyto

In this course you will learn a unique version of pharmacology - one that emphasizes traditional classifications based on energetics, as well as modern pharmacological principles and the active chemical constituents in herbal medicines. Understanding plant chemistry provides some underpinning of the student's therapeutic knowledge by linking the beneficial clinical applications of herbs to classes of chemical compounds responsible for the effects. It also provides a rationale for choice of methods in the preparation of herbal medicines. In addition to the standard principles, we will cover less conventional aspects of pharmacology including the concepts of synergy and hormesis, along with new frontier sciences such as pharmacogenomics. [3 credits]