Training | The Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists

Training

The Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists has always striven to provide the highest level of professional expertise and it was with this in mind that we set out to develop training for Medical Herbalists here in Ireland.

Training as a Medical Herbalist will require two stages. Stage 1 is a BSc honours degree course in herbal Science and Stage 2 is an MSc in Clinical Herbal Medicine. The degree course in Herbal Science provides a solid foundation in the sciences of herbs, their growth, processing and manufacture, and nutrition. Graduates may go on to study for a taught Masters in Clinical Herbal Medicine when they learn the art of using medicinal herbs in clinical practice.

Stage 1

The BSc Herbal Science honours degree has been developed in conjunction with the Cork Institute of Technology. It is a four year full time course.

This is a very interesting course covering a broad range of subjects from botany and horticulture to nutrition, pharmacology and pharmacognosy amongst others. In addition to forming stage 1 of training as a Medical Herbalist this degree course in Herbal Science provides a sound basis for anyone interested in learning more about the horticulture or growing of herbs, nutrition of food and herbs and the pharmacy, manufacturer and analysis of herbs and herbal medicine.

Herbal Medicine and the research on herbal medicine is growing rapidly year on year. It is an exciting and fresh field of study which is only starting to come of age. So if you are interested in exploring a new and exciting field of study then you can not get any better then herbal science/ herbal medicine.

The following links can provide some more information

A new EU directive called the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive has introduced the necessity for high levels of safety and quality control in relation to the herbal products bought over the counter in health shops and pharmacists. Modules in quality control and analysis provide information on how quality and safety can be assessed and assist in understanding the difference between a good and bad product.

Without herbs, Herbal Medicine can not continue. This is where the horticulturist comes in. Herbs that are used for medicine need very different styles of growing then those used for food. It is important that the person growing herbs for medicine has an understanding of the properties needed of the final herbs.

Functional foods and nutraceuticals extolling the benefits to health (heart health, improving immune function) are found increasing in our supermarkets and the benefits discussed in papers and magazines throughout the country. However, recent European legislation will require more precise information on such foods backed by scientific investigation supporting claims. Therefore more and more research will be needed to explore this area and to investigate this interesting, essential and expanding area of research.

You may find the following links interesting

Stage 2

Stage 2 of training will be a two year MSc in Clinical Herbal Medicine, currently under development and due to commence September 2009. It will provide training for Medical Herbalists and will include Clinical Medicine, Herbal Medicine and Pharmacognosy and clinical practice with qualified Medical Herbalists in a clinical setting.

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