In this course you will learn how to use local, wild, and traditional herbs for your own health care, your family, and as a foundation for further ongoing study as a practitioner.

Whatever your background and eventual goals, you will find the Foundations of Herbalismcourse will meet and exceed your highest expectations.

In this present course,we blend elements from phytotherapy,

traditional western folk-based herbal medicine, and

Traditional Chinese Medicine to create an approach to the

understanding of herbal medicine that is both timeless and

rooted in tradition, as well as relevant to today’s modern

world of science and medicine.

As you go through this course, you will develop an

understanding of the breadth and depth of herbalism

today. You will learn about the actions of specific herbs

and their uses to either direct and facilitate the smooth

functioning of body processes to create harmony and

balance or to help alleviate undesirable symptoms, and

you will learn about the use of herbs to help support

and strengthen the body and its organs.

An important aspect of the course is an in-depth discussion

about the many-sided nature of today’s most-used herbs. Many

of the herbs are from the western medicine-chest, but also from

some of the top Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs in common use.

Rather than just focusing on the simplistic uses of herbs, you

will learn about the physiological actions of the herbs, the tastes

and temperature of herbs, and the contraindications, as well as a

thorough profile of the herb’s uses.

The course is arranged so that you will learn about all of

the body systems, including the reproductive and immune

systems. You will review a holistic understanding of the

nature of common symptoms and diseases and a treatment

plan for each, including dietary recommendations.

Practical information on “how-to” make a tincture

(including ideal solvent or menstruum systems for herbs),

salves, powdered extracts, and other kinds of herbal

preparations is discussed. Before herbal products can be

made, the herbs must be properly harvested, cultivated,

dried, and processed. Extensive information is presented on

all of these important aspects of herbal medicine.

1 -Introduction:

Phytotherapy has developed with a lineage from the ancient Egyptians,

Greeks, Renaissance herbalists, and includes many new innovations from

scientific work mostly performed in the last 50 years, including chemical

analysis of herbs, an understanding of their biological effects on the body's

cells, tissues, and organs, an examination of the safety of herbs, how they

might interact with modern pharmaceuticals, and how this knowledge can

be used to best determine how herbs and herbal preparations can be used to

prevent disease, maintain optimum health, and help assist the body to help

itself when disease is present.

Herbal medicine ,botanical ,herbalism ,herbology, phytomedicine or phytotherapy.

WHO:

discipline that deals with use of plants based remedies for health benefits.

Phytomedicine:

Refined medicinal products,labeled whose AC are plants or plant derivatives at the initial stages of preparation.

Traditional medicine:

Sum total of all the knowledge and practicies.

Herbal drugs e.g senna pods &St john,s wort

Natural products or compounds isolated from nature

e.g morphine

Nutraceuticals or functional foods.e.g garlic ,ginger,

The improvement of the customers attitude towards the relation between health and diet.

The role of the emigrants with Asian and Latin cultures& their belief in herbal medicines.

Marketing efforts by herbal companies

Patients Fear lack of confidentiality

Conventional (aggressive) Vs .herbal, gentle.

Herbals having holistic &systematic benefits in treatments as well as maintaining overall health.

Mild toxicity

Multi-treatments

Low toxicity tolerability

Phytomedicines with different qualities, can be made

from the same plant depending on the quality of the

crude drug ,parts used ,solvents and the extraction

process

Chemical defense against predators e.g hemlock

Side effects just as pharmaceuticals or even more bcs of

dosages & purity which uncontrolled.

Adulteration with dangerous pharmaceutical products.

Herb- drug interaction.

Possibility of using the wrong herh by the anufacturer.

Not appropriate for use in emergency or acute situations.

Safe if properly fatal if misused.

The ancient Egyptians 3000 B.C. were experts in using drugs for curing diseases.

The healing of the sick was undertaken by priest doctor and pharmacist "Son" who prescribed and prepared medicines.

Crude drugs of vegetable origin used included Aloes, Gum, Myrrh, Poppy, Pomegranate, Colocynth, Linseed, Squill, Coriander, Onion, Anise, Melon, Castor, etc...

The first recorded prescriptions were found in Egyptian tombs. These were the Hieratic papyri, Ebers papyrus, the Gynecologic papyrus.

The Babylonian medicine was known (Laws of Hamorabi 772 B.C.).

the drugs used were mainly of vegetable origin.

The drugs used include 250 materials of plant, and 180 materials of animal source. Many of these drugs were known to the ancient Egyptians.

The "Riveda" and Ayurveda (Acoko 2000 B.C.), contained the sacred medicinal plants.

The collection of plant materials was done only by an innocent, pure, religious person.

The fresh plants were considered to be the most effective.

The most celebrated Indian drugs were; Sandal wood, Clove, Pepper, Cardamom, Caraway, Ginger, Benzoin, Cannabis, Castor oil, Sesame oil, Aloes, etc...

Beside the famous acupuncture, the Chinese medicine is very acknowledged for the herbal medicine.

The Pen Ts'ao Kang Moa 1000 B.C. contained an incredible number of medicinal plants and drugs of animal origin.

Their book includes many recipes for every disease. Among the plants and minerals highly esteemed for its magic health including power were; Ginseng, Rhubarb, Ephedra, Star Anise, Pomegranate, Aconite.... Opium is a very old Chinese drug for diarrhea and dysentery.

Pythagoras (560 B.C.) used drugs as Mustard and Squill, etc....

Hippocrates (466 B.C.) was familiar with numerous drugs, and wrote "Corpus Hipocraticum 460 B.C.".

The Greek Empire was followed by that of the Romans Dioscorides who was a Greek by birth he was the first to describe drugs and his work "Greek Herbal of Dioscorides" included 5000 medicinal plants in addition to animal and mineral drugs.

Pliny who lived about the same time as Dioscorides, was also an eminent author of natural history.

Galen (134- 200 A.C.) was a physician and to him is ascribed the use of "Galenicalpreparations".

In Islamic writings were found the first beginnings of chemistry, the name of which is derived from an Arabic word "Kemia"; as were also such familiar words alcohol and alkali.

The Arabs added numerous new plants and medicaments to those already known to the Greeks and Romans.

In their days, pharmacy attained its highest reputation and became an independent branch of medicine.

It is interesting to note that the first dispensary was opened in Baghdad, the center of trade in those days.

The dispensary was made of Sandal wood and named "Sandalia".

Rhazey (850-932 A.C.) who was born at Raiin Persia was the director of Baghdad hospital in the days of El-Mansour.

He published a famous book "AlhawiKabeer".

Abu Al Hosayn Ibn-Sina (980-1037 A.C.) whose name was latinised to Avicenna. He was one of the most eminent and gifted Arabian physicians.

His "Canoon Fi Elteb" has been described as the most famous medical text ever written and as having dominated the medical schools of Europe and Asia and served as the chief source of medical knowledge for 5 centuries, till the 15th century.

Ibn Al-Baitar (1197-1248 A.C.) was the best Arabian pharmacognosist and botanist and ranked with Dioscorides in that respect. His book "Jame-ul-Muffradat" contains description of 2000 drugs.

Sheikh Dawood El-Antaki wrote a book named "Tazkaret Uli Al-Albab", now known as "Tazkaret Dawood Alantaki" which describes several hundred herbs besides drugs of animal and mineral origin.

“Herbal formulation shall mean a dosage form

consisting of one or more herbs or processed herb(s) in

specified quantities to provide specific nutritional,

cosmetic benefits, and/or other benefits meant for use

to diagnose treat, mitigate diseases of human beings or

animals and/or to alter the structure or physiology of

human beings or animals”.

24/08/2011 24

24/08/2011 25

Any medicinal product, exclusively containing as

active substances one or more herbal substances or one

or more herbal preparations, or one or more such herbal

substances in combination with one or more such

herbal preparations

Herbal preparations are obtained by subjecting herbal

substances to treatments such as extraction, distillation,

expression, fractionation, purification, concentration or

fermentation.

These include comminuted or powdered herbal

substances, tinctures, extracts, essential oils, expressed juices and processed exudates.

24/08/2011 26

All mainly whole, fragmented or cut plants, plants

parts, algae, fungi, lichen in an unprocessed, usually

dried form but sometimes fresh.

Herbal substances are precisely defined by the plant

part used and the botanical name according to the

binomial system (genus, species, variety and author)

24/08/2011 27

Internal preparation

1-liquids

easy for each yndividual

minimal processing

dosage flexibility

readly absorbed &conveniently to take.

The main disadvantages of liquids are

Taste

Alcohol content

a-Infusion and decoctions :mainly in UTI ,as diaphoretics.

Disadvantages:

Water as a solvent

Unpleasant taste when using large volume of hot liquid.

b-syrups :

Soothing effect

Protect irritated body tissues

preservative

d -Inhalents:

Contains V.O

Decongstants, topicaly or added to hot water &the

steam inhaled.

V.O can be inhaled directly.

e – powders:

The total constituents are presented to the GIT.

Suitable for mucilaginous cpds

Tannins ,bcs are slowly released from the plant matrix.

F – tablets:

either dried herbs or extracts. More concentrated.

No proplems with taste or alcohols.

Can not be adapted to individual needs.

processing needed.

Risk of AC damage during the processing.

G – capsules:

Conceal the unpleasant taste & texture of powders.

Disadvantages as tablets plus the limited size of the

capsule.

a – compresses:. (الكمادات )

Water based preparations, applied directly to the skin

with a cloth, hot & cold.

Bruising, swelling, and headaches.

Must be soaked & reapplied frequently.

B – poultices:

A warm paste of herbs applied directly to the skin &

held in a place with dressing.

Must be kept hot.

Infection in wounded areas & muscular pains.

C – liniments:

Made with alcohols, herbal oils, as well as dried and

fresh herbs.

Designed to be readily absorbed through the skin to

stimulate blood flow.

Massage to stimulate muscles or ligaments.

D – lotions:

Unlike liniments of no or few oils

Applied directly as compresses, or as eyes, years, and

mouth washes.

E – creams:

Emulsions.

Effectine in affections of large areas,e.g dry skin,

eczema, and psoriasis.

Moisurizers

Protective, soothers as well as healers.

F – ointments:

Waxes and oils based

Conditions of small area of the skin.

Other herbal preparations:

Gargles, mouthwashes, plasters, pessaries, juices and

suppositories.

1. Characterization

2. Design and development consideration

3. Pharmacopoeial tests and acceptance criteria

4. Periodic/skip testing

5. Release versus shelf-life acceptance criteria

6. In-process tests

7. Alternative procedures

8. Evolving technologies

9. Reference standard

10. Statistical concepts

24/08/2011 39

a) Dissolution/Disintegration

b) Hardness and friability

c) Uniformity of content and mass (dosage units)

d) Water content

e) Microbial limits

24/08/2011 40

a) Uniformity of content and mass

b) pH

c) Microbial limits

d) Antimicrobial preservative content

e) Antioxidant preservative content

f) Extractable from container/closure system

g) Alcohol content

24/08/2011 41

h) Dissolution for suspensions and powders for suspension

i) Particle size distribution

j) Re-dispensability for suspensions

k) Viscosity for suspensions or viscous solutions

l) Specific gravity for suspensions or viscous solutions

m) Water content for powders for reconstitution

24/08/2011 42