Full Course Outline

• Provides a scientific complement to traditional/empirical/intuitive/energetic approaches
• Understand functional similarities among different herbs
• Understand origins of observed actions
• Understand how to prepare/extract herbs to get optimal amounts of desired constituents
• Understand how to prepare/extract herbs to minimize amounts of undesirable constituents
• Helps explain some traditional dosage guidelines
• Better comprehension of toxicology
• Establish correlations between scientific approach & traditional herbal practice
• Provides tools to communicate with researchers and other practitioners including pharmacists, NDs, MDs, etc.
• Provides tools for reading/understanding scientific literature

2. Variability & Concepts of Standardization

• Plants make variable amounts of constituents based on the environmental conditions & stresses they encounter: soil, climate, bacterial/fungal/insect interactions
• Some constituents not even made unless plant encounters particular situation
• Other constituents reliably present; characteristic of species. Used to “standardize” & in taxonomic identification
• Identified constituents often only tip of the iceberg
• Correlate traditional practices with constituent levels, i.e., “dig Dandelion roots in the fall after the first frost” or “harvest deep forest Cohosh from the North side of the mountain next to a creek, after the leaves have begun to curl” or “chop the Garlic as fine as possible before soaking in olive oil” all have phytochemical correspondences
• Correlate constituent levels with herb quality; understanding quality control in the herbal products industry

3. Solubility & Extraction; Stability & Reactivity

• Solubility: lipid-soluble, water-soluble, alcohol-soluble, acid (vinegar) soluble, insoluble
• Why certain extraction media are used for certain constituents and applications
• Concepts of polarity & pH
• Stability: how long is it good for? Stable vs unstable (i.e., alliin vs allicin); significance of stability to storage, extraction; how some constituents change over time; role of enzymes
• Reactivity: which constituents will react with other constituents, with extraction media, with pharmaceuticals

4. Synergy & Reductionism

• Define synergy & reductionism in herbal context; strengths & weaknesses of each approach; integration of these concepts for the practitioner
• Synergistic interactions key; have been identified by both traditional herbalists & scientists, but not well understood phytochemically; reductionist systems do not explain some observed effects
• Examine some research that addresses synergistic effects
• The relationship of published research & practical synergy

5. Survey of the major classes and subclasses of constituents of importance to herbalists; categories & compounds correlated with traditional uses and actions of herbs containing them; accompanied by illustrated PowerPoint slide show with photographs & botanical illustrations and 3D molecular models for a holistic visual learning approach

• a. Carbohydrates
  i. Monosaccharides & derivatives
  ii. Disaccharides
  iii. Oligosaccharides
  iv. Polysaccharides
  1. homopolysaccharides
  2. heteropolysaccharides (mucilages, gums, pectins)
  v. Dietary fiber
  vi. Organic acids
  vii. Glycosides
• b. Lipids
  i. Fatty acids
  1. saturated
  2. unsaturated
  3. omega 3, 6, & 9
  4. essential fatty acids
  5. trans fatty acids
  ii. Triglycerides
  iii. Phospholipids (cell membrane components)
  iv. Waxes
  v. Alkylamides
  vi. Polyacetylenes
  vii. Unsaponifiable matter
   
• c. Amino acids and derivatives
  i. Standard amino acids
  ii. Non-standard amino acids
  iii. Sulfated amino acid derivatives
  iv. Selenated amino acids
  v. Glucosinolates
  vi. Cyanogenic glycosides
  vii. Amines
  viii. Methylxanthines
  ix. Miscellaneous nitrogenous molecules
   
• d. Phenolic compounds
  i. Phenolic acids
  ii. Phenylpropanoids
  iii. Coumarins
  iv. Furanocoumarins
  v. Lignans
  vi. Phenylpropanoid derivatives
  vii. Stilbenoids
  viii. Xanthones
  ix. Styrylpyrones
  x. Flavonoids
  xi. Isoflavonoids
  xii. Benzofurans
  xiii. Chromones
  xiv. Quinones
  xv. Phloroglucinol derivatives
   
• e. Terpenoids
  i. Monoterpenes
  ii. Sesquiterpenes
  iii. Diterpenes
  iv. Triterpenes
  v. Saponins
  vi. Tetraterpenes (carotenoids)
  vii. Polyisoprenes
   
• f. Steroids
  i. Phytosterols
  ii. Steroidal saponins
  iii. Cardiac glycosides
  iv. Miscellaneous steroids
  g. Alkaloids
  i. Betalain alkaloids
  ii. Indole alkaloids
  iii. Isoquinoline alkaloids
  iv. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
  v. Tropane alkaloids

6. Web resources; book recommendations

7. Organoleptic session: herb walk to correlate the experience of some constituents with smell, taste, and texture in living plants.