Graduate Certificate in Medical Herbalism
Designed for Licensed or Certified Health-Care Professionals
Now Enrolling for January 2012

Program Highlights

Every day more of your patients and clients are consuming herbal products. Herbs and herbal supplements are a growing, multi-billion dollar industry that today consists primarily of consumers purchasing and using herbal products, often with a limited understanding of what they are buying and how to use them appropriately.

Tai Sophia Institute’s Graduate Certificate in Medical Herbalism provides a foundational knowledge of herbal medicine that emphasizes issues of quality, safety, and efficacy. Grounded in both modern science and traditional herbal wisdom, the program provides an integrated and comprehensive perspective on the use of herbs in a variety of health-care models.

Tai Sophia’s Graduate Certificate in Medical Herbalism is:

• Exclusively designed for licensed and certified health-care professionals
• Delivered by internationally renowned experts and leaders in herbal medicine, health, and wellness
• Focused on the most frequently used herbal medicines and supplements in the U.S. market and their likely interactions with conventional pharmaceuticals
• Designed to give you the capacity to have an open, informative dialogue about medicinal herbs with your patients, colleagues, and herbal experts
• Presented in an executive weekend format to accommodate working professionals
• 12 graduate-level academic credits delivered over 9 weekends (approximately one weekend a month for 8 months)
• Approved for continuing education units and contact hours toward licensure requirements for select professions
• Eligible for federal financial aid
• Easily paired with a Graduate Certificate in Health Coaching

Course Descriptions

ISci 632: Foundations of Health and Wellness

This course addresses modern, historical, and cross-cultural perspectives on health, wellness, and sickness. Health and wellness of the individual are discussed in a context ranging from the planetary to the molecular level. Emphasis is placed on understanding the biological basis of health and wellness practices as well as the use of language in creating life-affirming narratives. As part of this course, students will engage in their own health-supportive practices and develop a deeper personal commitment to wellness.

HRB 530: Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine: Past to Present & Soil to Clinic

This survey course begins by looking at the history and use of herbal medicine around the world, exploring how these traditional systems influence modern herbal practice in the United States. The second part of this course introduces the foundational sciences relevant to researching and understanding herbal remedies. Students learn taxonomy and hands-on botanical identification during visits to Jim Duke’s Green Pharmacy Garden. Classroom work will provide an introduction to materia medica, phytochemistry, pharmacology, ethnobotany, clinical trials, posology (the study of dosage), herbal preparations, and safety issues.

HRB 622: Herbal Pharmacy: Evaluating and Manufacturing Quality Herbal Products

This is primarily a hands-on course providing techniques for harvesting and drying herbs, and incorporating them into herbal products and medicinal foods. It provides the basic theory and skills required to manufacture high-quality medicinal herb products for oral and topical application. Students learn the foundational principles of extraction, the properties of common solvents (e.g., water, alcohol and oils) and the solubility of various herbal constituents. Students apply their learning by creating herbal foods and extracts for display at a community herbal products show. In addition to making their own kitchen pharmacy preparations, students learn how to evaluate the quality of the wide range of herbal products manufactured by the natural products industry.

HRB 604: Frequently Used Herbs: Understanding for the Health Professional

This course investigates approximately 30 of the most commonly used herbal medicines and related supplements in the US. Each herb is discussed from the ethnobotanical perspective as well as the modern phytotherapeutic perspective, with a focus on pharmacological understanding and relevant clinical trials. Special emphasis is placed on topics relevant to the contemporary clinician, including quality control, interactions, and other safety parameters of each herb covered. This course provides the student with the necessary skills to effectively research herbs not covered in the class.

Weekends in January, February and March are held Friday through Sunday. Class hours on Friday are 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Class hours on Saturdays and Sundays are between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. All other weekends from April to August are held on Saturday and Sunday only.

Why Study at Tai Sophia?

Founded in 1974, Tai Sophia is a premier, accredited educational institution dedicated to the art and science of healing and wellness. For over three decades, Tai Sophia Institute’s pioneering founders, world-class faculty, and exceptional clinicians have redefined health, wellness, relationship, and community, setting the gold standard for relationship-centered care, transformative leadership and social change, and self care.

Each of Tai Sophia’s programs is powerfully rooted in the wisdom of nature, teachings from the world’s great healing and wisdom traditions, contemporary knowledge, and cutting-edge science.

Whether your ultimate goal is to coach your patients and clients toward optimum health and vitality, integrate herbs into your clinical practice or home life, become a master practitioner of acupuncture, or be a more powerful and effective leader on the job or in your community, as a Tai Sophia student you will become a keen observer of your own body-mind-spirit and its innate wisdom, and learn to be a healing and transformative presence through your thoughts, words, and actions.

While you pursue your chosen course of study, in partnership with your classmates and instructors, you will reveal and develop your unique gifts and talents, achieve greater clarity about your passion and purpose, and gain a deeper sense of community and service.

Medical Herbalism at Tai Sophia

The Medical Herbalism program is designed specifically for doctors, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and other licensed and certified health-care professionals who seek to be better informed about the safe and appropriate use of herbal medicine.

Situated just miles from the renowned Green Pharmacy Garden, Tai Sophia’s main campus offers an impressive herbal dispensary, library, and herb garden to support all of its academic programs in herbal medicine.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students must meet the following admission requirements:

• Have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution and submit an official transcript to verify completion.
• Submit official transcript of highest degree earned beyond a bachelor’s degree.
• Submit copy of professional license or certification in related health field(s).

Other applicants with related experience and a bachelor’s degree or higher will be considered on an individual basis.

Financial Aid

Federal financial aid is available for this program. To apply for federal financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Tai Sophia Institute’s school code for completing the FAFSA is G25784. A limited number of scholarships are also available. For additional funding options, such as private or alternative education loans, please contact Director of Financial Aid John Gay, Jr., at 410-888-9048 ext. 6628 or .

Tuition and Fees

Application Fee: $50
Tuition Deposit (due upon acceptance): $500
Tuition: $6, 624 (12 credits at $552 per credit)

Additional Fees: Required materials include: supplies needed for making herbal preparations (teas, lotions, tinctures) for the Fall Herb Show. The cost of the Fall Herb Show can range from $75 to $300. The cost of books required for the program runs between $250 and $300.

To learn more about the Medical Herbalism graduate certificate, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at or 410-888-9048 ext. 6647.