Learn the basics of how to identify and correctly administer herbs for medicinal purposes. Many plants or plant combination's are poisonous. For this reason, it is essential that before using an herb, you are able to POSITIVELY identify it.

This course provides an excellent foundation for developing a sound knowledge of medicinal herbs. Medicinal herbs are the oldest known remedy for healing problems that can possibly be fixed with a simple remedy.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Medicinal Herbs
2. Culture of Medicinal Herbs
3. History
4. Main Medicinal Herbs
5. Herbal Remedies
6. Preparing Herbal remedies
7. Poisonous Plants
8. Developing a Production Plan

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Distinguish between medicinal herbs in cultivation including twenty-five different genera and fifty different varieties.
• Discuss the history of medicinal herb usage.
• Compare the chemical components of different medicinal herbs in terms of their general affect on the human body.
• Prepare simple and safe herbal remedies in a domestic situation.
• Explain the potential dangers involved in dealing with plants.
• Prepare a schedule of cultural practices for a medicinal herb crop.
• Develop a production plan for a medicinal herb crop.

• Define the term "medicinal herb" according to both horticultural and naturopathic meanings.
• Compile a resource file of fifty different sources of information regarding medicinal herbs.
• Distinguish between fifteen different plant families which common medicinal herbs belong to.
• Prepare a plant collection of fifty different medicinal herb varieties.
• List ten different medicinal herbs which were often used more than one hundred years ago, but are no longer commonly used.
• Identify modern trends in the use of herbs in medicines in your country.
• Discuss the role of home remedies in modern society.
• Discuss the role of the naturopath in modern society.
• Summarise the history of medicinal herbs since early civilisation, to modern times.
• Explain the characteristics of different types of chemicals found in medicinal herbs.
• Write brief definitions to explain the mode of action of different herbal medicines.
• Write an essay describing the chemical actions which two different herbs have upon the human body.
• Explain various factors which can influence the effectiveness of active constituents of a herb.
• List herbal remedies derived from forty different commonly grown herbs.
• Identify the morphological parts of fifteen different herbs which are used medicinally.