Herbal Medicine and Product Making Course, UH Manoa Outreach College Fall 2011

Course Syllabus:

  1. Course introduction, discussion of scientific and intuitive approaches and various cultural philosophies of herbal medicine, discussion of focus medicinal plants and their uses, plant names/botanical nomenclature, ethics and safety issues, suggested readings and supplies/materials for the herbalist

  2. Basic botany, plant identification, ecological classification, further discussion of useful medicinal and edible plants, discussion of herbal products, mechanisms of action, phytochemistry, contraindications

  3. Cultivating medicinal plants: selecting and obtaining propagules, making cuttings, planting, tending for maximizing medicinal activity, pest management, harvesting, and preserving

  4. Optional weekend fieldtrip: gardening (4 hours)

  5. Wild medicinal and edible plants: identification, ethical harvesting, selection, wilderness first aid and survival, preserving medicine in the field, making an herbal first aid kit and treating basic injuries, chemical ecology, aromatherapy

  6. Optional weekend hike to identify wild plants and further discuss wilderness first aid (5 hours)

  7. Making and using polar infusions and understanding polar solvent chemistry: teas, tinctures, fortified wine and liqueurs

  8. Making and using herbal infused oils, salves, balms, and lip balms. Understanding non-polar solvent chemistry. Discussing the use, applications, and limitations of various oils, butters, and fats.

  9. Making herbal healing cream and understanding emulsions/emulsion chemistry

  10. Chocophilia: Making raw, organic, healing chocolate and chocolate products from scratch, understanding and treating chocoholism, making chocolate substitutes, understanding the health benefits and uses of cacao and cocoa butter

  11. Intuitive healing and being with plants: meditating with plants, communicating and communing with plants, flower essences, hydrosols, aromatherapy

  12. Optional weekend fieldtrip: hike to explore intuitiveness, meditation with plants, flower/plant essences (5 hours)

  13. Kombucha brewing, probiotics, prebiotics, treating digestive disorders with kombucha and herbal remedies

  14. Plant fibers: Natural paper making, lei making, understanding and comparing cloth, cordage, felts, kapa, and paper.

  15. Making and using plant dyes for art and body products: art, clothing, body paint, natural make-up, semi-permanent tattoos, semi-permanent hair dye, facials, facemasks, skin and hair treatments, limu/seaweeds and clays

  16. Herbal potluck—discussion of healing and medicinal foods and ingredients, evolution and roles of herbs in various cultural cuisines

Textbook: Herbal Medicine for Personal Empowerment and Sustainable Living by Laura Shiels (available from instructor)

Credit: This is a non-credit course, however credit can be arranged (Bot 399 for 3 credits)

Number of sessions: 16 (13 classes + 3 weekend fieldtrips) Total classroom hours: 53 (39 classroom, 14 fieldtrip)

Two sections offered to accomodate different schedules, for a total of three hours of instruction per week (plus several optional weekend fieldtrips).

Tentative day of week and time: Thurs

Section 1: 1 pm to 4 pm

Section 2: 6 pm to 9 pm

(These dates/times are still tentative. If you are interested in the course but these days/times do not work for you, please email Laura.)

Any Questions? Please email Laura at herbalmagik@hotmail.com