Herbal medicines are widely used around the world, often alongside prescription or over-the-counter drugs. While many herbs offer real health benefits, they can also interact with pharmaceutical medications in ways that may reduce effectiveness or cause harm.
This course provides a foundational understanding of how herbal remedies work, their benefits, and how they might interact with conventional medicines. It equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge to counsel patients, prevent risks, and ensure safer integrative care.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the principles of herbal medicine.
- Identify common herbs with known drug interactions.
- Recognize the risks of combining herbs with medications.
- Advise patients on safe use of herbal supplements.
- Evaluate scientific evidence on herb-drug interactions.
- Report and manage adverse events related to herbal use.
This course is ideal for:
- Pharmacists and pharmacy students.
- Physicians and general practitioners.
- Nurses and clinical staff.
- Herbalists and alternative health practitioners.
- Public health educators.
- Health regulators and inspectors.
- Medical students and interns.
This training uses a blended learning approach that includes visual presentations, real case studies, video demonstrations, and interactive quizzes. Downloadable herbal reference sheets and clinical guidelines will help learners apply knowledge in real settings.
Day 5 of each course is reserved for a Q&A session, which may occur off-site. For 10-day courses, this also applies to day 10
Section 1: Introduction to Herbal Medicine
- History and global use of herbal remedies.
- Differences between herbal and pharmaceutical drugs.
- Forms of herbal preparations (teas, capsules, tinctures).
- Overview of regulatory frameworks.
Section 2: Basics of Drug Interactions
- Types of drug interactions: pharmacokinetic vs. pharmacodynamic.
- How the body processes herbs and drugs.
- Risk factors that increase interaction likelihood.
Section 3: Common Herbs and Their Interactions
- St. John’s Wort and antidepressants.
- Ginkgo biloba and blood thinners.
- Garlic and antihypertensives.
- Ginseng, echinacea, and others.
- Case-based analysis.
Section 4: Clinical Implications of Herb-Drug Interactions
- Identifying symptoms of adverse interactions.
- Monitoring patient safety.
- Counseling strategies in pharmacies and clinics.
- Ethical considerations in alternative medicine.
Section 5: Patient Communication and Education
- How to ask about herbal use during consultation.
- Tips for guiding patients toward safe combinations.
- Resources for checking interactions (databases, apps).
Section 6: Reporting and Pharmacovigilance
- Role of healthcare workers in herbal ADR reporting.
- Using national and global reporting systems.
- Building an integrative health documentation system.
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded a Holistique Training Certificate of Completion. For those who attend and complete the online training course, a Holistique Training e-Certificate will be provided.
Holistique Training Certificates are accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and The CPD Certification Service (CPD), and are certified under ISO 9001, ISO 21001, and ISO 29993 standards.
CPD credits for this course are granted by our Certificates and will be reflected on the Holistique Training Certificate of Completion. In accordance with the standards of The CPD Certification Service, one CPD credit is awarded per hour of course attendance. A maximum of 50 CPD credits can be claimed for any single course we currently offer.
- Course Code IND5 - 171
- Course Format Classroom, Online,
- Duration 5 days
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