This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== UNIT 12: Bringing in the Harvest ====== ===== Introduction ===== In this final Unit, we draw together ideas and concepts from previous Units. ==== Overview ==== * To take a closer look at your chosen plant project, and explore how this plant may be of help, not just in terms of its medicinal actions but also in terms of its energetics * To consider the ways in which our long relationship with plants has affected our genome, and why this makes herbal medicine safe for most people * To reflect on our anatomy and physiology as a complex interrelated whole * To consider how symptoms of disease can give clues to the inter-relatedness of all body systems, and which herbal combinations may be best suited to particular health problems * To understand how the anatomy and physiology of the human body allows it to function as a complex ecosystem, and how herbal medicines can enhance the operation of this ecosystem. ==== Learning Outcomes ==== === By the end of Section 1, you will understand the scope of This unit which === * Reflects on the use of the senses in the understanding of what may be taking place in the body in health and in disease * Discusses the importance of the senses as a means to enquire into, and to more deeply understand, medicinal plants * Discusses traditions of folk medicine around the world, illustrating the value of ‘pre-scientific’ knowledge * Identifies resources of good quality research relating to herbal medicine * Describes the nature and actions of cytochromes, and how co-evolution with plants has led to changes in human genetics that make plant medicines more likely to be tolerated with few side-effects * Considers how treatment with a medical herbalist is person-centred rather than disease-centred * Reflects on the fact that herbal medicine is much more than an array of health supplements, and that the use of whole plant medicines and plant mixtures involves synergy * Explains how some of the gentlest of plant medicines and functional foods can be the most powerful healers * Describes the work of the medical herbalist * Discusses plant medicines that can work well alongside conventional drugs * Outlines ways in which balance within the complex ecosystem of the body can be enhanced by the use of herbal medicines * Explains how the healthy functioning of the gastro-intestinal system is essential to good health. === By the end of Section 2, you will be able to === * List seven universal themes described by Sharman Apt Russell * Discuss what herbalism means to you. === By the end of Section 3, you will have === * Formulated a view on the effectiveness of herbal medicine * Become aware of a broad evolutionary kinship - we are animals and part of the natural world * Become more aware of the significance of cell receptor sites * Understood the links between Western herbal medicine and other forms of traditional medicine, such as Unani Tibb. === By the end of Section 4, you will === * Have completed various extra monograph activities involving examining the leaf pattern and flower detail of your chosen plant; completing a drawing (with eyes closed) of your plant; and tasting your plant to identify your 5 key words * Have written 300 words summarising what you feel is important about your chosen plant * Have completed your monograph. You have 6 weeks after the release of Unit 12 to submit your final assignment - the herb monograph. ==== Additional Information ==== There is a reference and further reading list.