Herbs have been used by mankind for thousands of years. Aside from their obvious culinary uses, many have other values related to their healing and soothing qualities. Before the development of synthetic medications we relied much more heavily on herbs and plants for medicinal purposes. Still today, a sizable portion of medications are derived from plants and many others mimic plant chemicals. As scientists discover more about the properties of natural plant chemicals it's likely that other benefits will be revealed. Take this short course to learn how to grow and use some of the key medicinal herbs we know about today.  

How Long Does the Course Take?

20 hours; but if you want to go deeper, you are able to. Complete it in a weekend if you wish; or spread it out over weeks or much longer. That's your choice. Once you enrol, you can study when you want, for as little or as long as you want, taking as long as you choose between study sessions

Support and Feedback

Self Assessment Tests are found throughout the course, where you will be asked questions and our course delivery system will give you immediate feedback.

A help desk is provided. Any questions or enquiries will be answered within one working day. Outside of weekends; often faster.

Course Lessons

The course contains 6 lessons:

1. Introduction The Nature and Scope of Medicinal Herbs

• What Are They?
• Uses of Medicinal Herbs
• The Evolution of Medicinal Herbs
• The Scope of Medicinal Herbs
  

2. Chemicals in Herbs and Their Effects on the Body

• Terms Used To Describe Medicinal Effects of Herbs
• Types of Chemicals found in Medicinal Herbs
• Other Terms Describing Medicinal Herbs
  

3. Ways Herbs Are Used

• Different Applications
• Medicinal Uses
• Some Important Points
  

  4. Methods of Preparing Herbs for Use

• How to Make Herbal Tea
• How to Make Herbal Decoctions
• How to Make Herbal Ointments
  

5. Directory of Medicinal Herbs

•  Agrimonia eupatoria
• Allium sativum
• Aloe vera
• Alpinia galanga
• Angelica archangelica
•  Armoracia rusticana
• Asparagus officinalis
• Asperula odorata (syn. Galium odoratum)
• Betula spp.
• Calendula officinalis
•  Cannabis sativa
• Capsicum annum
• Citrus limonum
• Echinacea purpurea
• Elettaria cardamomum
• Eucalyptus spp.
• Ficus carica
• Foeniculum vulgare
• Glycyrrhiza glabra
• Humulus lupulus
• Hyssopus officinalis
• Lavandula angustifolia (syn. L. officinalis)
• Levisticum officinale
• Linum usitatissimum
• Matricaria recutita (syn M. chamomilla)
•  Melaleuca alternifolia
• Melissa officinaliS
•  Mentha x piperita
• Mentha pulegium
• Mentha spicata (syn. M. viridis)
• Oenothera biennis
• Origanum vulgare
• Panax quinquefolius
• Papaver orientale
• Petroselinum crispum (syn. P. sativum)
• Pimpinella anisum
• Rheum palmatum
• Ribes rubrum
•  Rosmarinus officinalis
• Rubus idaeus
• Ruta graveolens
•  Salix alba
•  Salvia officinalis
•  Sanguisorba officinalis
• Satureja hortensis
• Symphytum officinale
•  Taraxacum officinale
• Thymus vulgaris
• Ulmus rubra (syn. Ulmus fulva)
• Valeriana officinalis
•  Vanilla aromatica
•  Zingiber officinale
  

6. Working with Medicinal Herbs

• Selling Medicinal Plants: Opportunities
• Where to Market Herb Products
• Processing Concerns
• Starting a Herb Business
• Planning
• Preparing a Business Plan for a Herb Farm or Nursery
• Production Requirements
  

Qualification at the End

After completing the lessons, you are presented with a major online exam; testing you on the content of the entire course.

You can attempt this whenever you feel ready; and upon getting 60% of the answers (or more) correct you are awarded with a "Certificate of Completion" bearing your name and the date, which can be downloaded as a pdf, saved and/or printed off.

How do our short courses work?

• This is a self-guided course- you work through the course at your own time.
• Enrol any time. Your enrolment will be processed during business hours within a few hours.
• After your enrolment has been processed, you will receive an email explaining the course and how to access to the study guide, and our help desk. The guide contains both an audio and written explanation of how the course can be studied.
• Follow the study guide, read and undertake different learning tasks to broaden and deepen your understanding of the subject. These tasks can vary from practicals to research and more. You can select to do as many or as little as you like.
• If and when you need to; you can contact our academic staff via a help desk. Emails are answered during business hours.
• At the end of each lesson, you are presented with a series of automated self assessment questions, to review and reinforce your learning experience.
• Once you have completed all of the lessons, you are presented with a major online exam comprising lots of questions. The exam is assessed in our online training system once it has been submitted. If you achieve a result of 60% or more, you are given access to download a “Certificate of Completion” with your name, together with the current date and name of this short course.
• Everything is automatic, but if you do need help at any point along your journey of discovery there is a help desk, with real people who have real expertise –only an email away to help you out.

Who is this course for?

• For personal/professional development
• For those interested in enhancing their business or career
• Students (increase your knowledge of herbs)
• Anyone that is interested in learning about natural medicine