Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine
Postgraduate
In Reading
Description
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Type
Postgraduate
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Location
Reading
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Duration
1 Year
Suitable for: Suitable for fully-qualified acupuncturists, or third-year acupuncture students who elect to begin studying herbs. during the clinical phase of their undergraduate degree.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
Reviews
Subjects
- Herbal
Course programme
Suitable for fully-qualified acupuncturists, or third-year acupuncture students who elect to begin studying herbs during the clinical phase of their undergraduate degree, this oneyear course is the first step on
the way to an MSc. As a graduate you will be permitted to prescribe pre-prepared formulae (patents) in your practice
You will develop an informed, reflective and critical approach to the subject of Chinese herbal medicine
including applied and complex knowledge of the wide range of single herbs, with emphasis on the ones contained within the pre-prepared Chinese herbal formulae. By the time you graduate, you will be able to diagnose and prescribe all of the core classical formulae and their variations with safety, confidence and competence.
Programme modules
Diagnosis and Chinese herbal formulae 1
You will be introduced to herbs and formulae right from the start, focusing on the study of the classical preprepared formulae and the herbs used within these formulae.
Pharmacology and nutrition are introduced for the first time in this module to equip you with the essential
knowledge you will need to prescribe herbs safely and effectively.
Pharmacology is the study of how substances interact with living organismsto produce a change in function. This unit encompasses drug composition and properties, interactions, toxicology, therapy, and medical applications.
The need to introduce pharmacology into the study of herbal medicine has never been more important. It
is essential that students have a good knowledge of how herbs are processed within the body, how adverse reactions may arise and what precautions can be taken to minimise these.
Included within this unit are the areas of toxicology that are relevant to herbal
medicine.
Nutrition is taught primarily from a Western medicine perspective in order to equip you with a detailed knowledge of how Western nutrition may influence health.
This unit provides a comprehensive understanding of the metabolism, functions and effects of nutrition
upon specific systems of the body and its part in the treatment and prevention of disease processes. You will be asked to compare and contrast how the Western understanding of nutrition compares with the corresponding Chinese model.
Module content
Tonify qi herbs, nourish Blood herbs, tonify qi formulae, nourish Blood formulae, warm yang herbs, warm
interior expel cold herbs, tonify qi and Blood formulae, tonify and warm yang formulae, warm interior formulae, tonify yin herbs, astringent herbs, extinguish Wind herbs, tonify yin formulae, treat Dryness formulae, expel Wind herbs, drain Damp herbs, transform Damp herbs, expel Wind-Damp herbs, expel Damp formulae, reduce food stagnation formulae, drain downwards formulae
Pharmacology 1 Foundations of pharmacology, case histories, ranges of patent medicines, analysis of a formula, substitutions and dosages, comparing and combining herbs and acupuncture
Nutrition 1 Essential fatty acids, diets and dieting, food contamination
Diagnosis and Chinese herbal formulae 2
You will acquire in-depth knowledge of a selection of core classical formulae and their variations, and a
selection of single herbs. You will learn to recognise and interpret individual herbs within relevant formulae
accurately so you can prescribe preprepared Chinese herbal formulae safely and competently.
Module content Cool and transform Phlegm Heat herbs, warm and transform Phlegm Cold herbs, herbs that relieve coughing and wheezing, regulate qi herbs, treat Phlegm formulae, regulate qi formulae, regulate Blood herbs, regulate Blood and stop bleeding herbs, harmonise Blood herbs, invigorate Blood herbs, release exterior Warm herbs, release exterior Cool herbs, release exterior drain Fire herbs, Cool Blood herbs, clear Heat/ dry Damp herbs, clear Heat and relieve toxicity herbs, clear Heat from deficiency
herbs, clear Heat formulae, stabilise and bind formulae, calm and settle Spirit herbs, calm the Spirit and nourish Heart herbs, relieve food stagnation herbs, expel parasites herbs, calm Spirit formulae
Pharmacology 2 Biological systems, safety issues, tongue evaluation to test patent formulae, combining patents, the processing of herbs, Chinese herbal formulae and the law
Nutrition 2 Toxicity and deficiency, allergies and intolerance
Prescription of preprepared formulae
You will learn how to differentiate and diagnose simple and complex patterns accurately using a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnostic framework, and to select the appropriate formulae for a given pattern. This will allow you to prescribe formulae, including an understanding of how to arrive at appropriate dosages and the ways herbs can be administered.
Module content Differentiation of common disease patterns from the viewpoint of Chinese medicine including: gynaecology, infertility, Bi syndrome including the use of external applications, allergies and digestive disorders, selection of herbal formulae according to disease
Pharmacology 3 Herb/drug interactions, regulatory issues
Clinical case prescription
You will treat patients in the herbal clinic using pre-prepared formulae under guided supervision. This module will develop your capacity to discriminate between different formulae and select the appropriate one for a given pattern, allowing you to develop the skills required to practise Chinese herbal medicine professionally within a clinical setting.
Module content Treating patients under supervision in class, discussion of diagnosis, treatment strategy and aetiological advice, selection of herbal formulae, case history analysis, treatment reactions Pharmacology 4 Herb metabolism, herb toxicities
Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine