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Botanical Medicine

by Feb 9, 2017

Home » Naturopathic Medicine Student Blog » Botanical Medicine

Botanical medicine is a significant aspect of our naturopathic curriculum. At NUHS, we have three botanical medicine classes that cover hundreds of herbs. I’m currently taking Advanced Naturopathic Botanical Prescribing to learn how to appropriately prescribe botanicals that are research-based for a patient’s condition. Every week, we have to formulate a botanical tincture based on reading a case study, including the goals and rationale of treatment.

2017-02-09_arctium

Goals of treatment are related to the action the botanicals need to have. We usually will have a few actions to accomplish based on one case study. Also, each botanical carries several actions. A few of the many actions are listed below:

  • Nervine calms the nerves. This can further be broken down into relaxants, stimulants and tonics.
  • Expectorant expels mucous from the respiratory system.
  • Carminative reduces gas and intestinal cramping.
  • Galactogogue increases breast milk production in lactating women.
  • Tonic strengthens an organ or system to which it has an affinity.
  • Vermifuge expels worms/parasites from the intestines.
  • Cholagogue promotes bile flow from the gallbladder.

2017-02-09_botanicals

Botanical medicine is one of the main distinguishing features between allopathic and naturopathic medicine. In allopathic/osteopathic medical school, students may be taught some general herbs that are common such as ginger and turmeric, but they don’t have formal classes on botanical medicine. In naturopathic medical school, we have about 150 hours of class time to thoroughly learn about the actions, constituents and clinical applications of botanicals using research-based science.

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About the Author

Mary Simon

Mary Simon

I'm a naturopathic medical student at NUHS. I started the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program in January 2014. I was born and raised in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a beautiful town on Lake Michigan. My experiences interpreting (Spanish to English) in nearly all medical specialties solidified my decision to study naturopathic medicine, as I saw a deep need for treating the body as a whole, getting to the root causes of symptoms, and using minimally invasive low-cost therapies to restore health.

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