PHRM 421: Herbal and Integrative medicine

This course is designed to enrich student’s knowledge about phytotherapy and the integrative medical practices and to prepare them professionally to evaluate the validity and necessity of their use in worldwide. The course will present a comprehensive study on natural medicines that affect the various body organs in both healthy individuals and patients according to evidence-based studies. The proportion of the chemical constituents, dosage, adverse effects, and possible interactions with other herbs, drugs and food will also be described in this course. This will enable the student to appreciate the impact and decide the appropriate use of the herbal products with/out conventional therapies. Moreover, the common worldwide information and practices in integrative medicine will be discussed based on research data and clinical studies in the way that students will be able to recognize and evaluate their usefulness alone or in integration with herbal and/or conventional therapies. The theories of Chinese, Indian, Western, and Arabian traditional medicines and their linked practices will be discussed and evaluated on the basis of the available scientific evidence to ascertain and point out the advantages, disadvantages, recommendations, and misconceptions of their current impact on the quality of life of the human being.