Pharmacology & Herbal
Actions
This module is designed to familiarize
the student with the different types of active constituents present
within plants and provide general information as to the actions
each category of constituents is likely to exert within the body.
From this knowledge base students can learn to extrapolate the
likely medicinal uses of a plant based on it’s constituents.
This module also contains explanations and examples of Herbal Actions
and an index with both common and botanical names of herbs found
in the course.
The Constituents
- Alkaloids and their various sub groupings
- Carbohydrates: polysaccarides, gums, mucilages
and resins
- Glycosides: cardiac, cyanogenic, anthraquinone,
flavonoid
- Lipids: fixed oils, triglycerides, EFA’s,
Lecithin
- Phenols: flavonoids, isoflavonoids, coumarins
and tannins
- Essential Oils
- Terpenoids: terpenes, lactones and saponins
(including steroidal)
Herbal Actions
Over forty types of herbal
actions are discussed with examples
Herbal Preparations for Internal
Use: a brief overview
A discussion of the most common preparations for
internal consumption including infusions, decoctions, syrups, tinctures,
fluid extracts, glycerites, standardized extracts and herbal capsules.
Distinctions are made as to the most appropriate form of administration
for a particular application.
Dosages and dosing considerations:
The overall aim of this module is to provide an
understanding of the biochemistry of plants and their constituents,
a lexicon of herbal actions, terminology for many types of herbal
preparations and information on dosage and dosing. |
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