PLBIO 1100

Medical Ethnobotany

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

Plants have always played a key role in the history of life on Earth and have served as medicinal agents in all societies since prehistoric times. Medical Ethnobotany is the study of medicinal plants used by a group of people. Medicinal plants are either critical constituents of many modem drugs or provide templates for synthetic analogous molecules. In this course we will introduce and be acquainted with past and current plant-based natural remedies used across the globe, exploring their efficacy and mode of actions. We will analyze and compare how plants are employed in the different continents to heal (or alleviate) a plethora of pathological conditions, and consider their roles in different cultures. The course is designed for students with an interest in the natural world and in traditional medicine.

When Offered Spring.

• Describe the value of plants for human health both verbally and in written form.
• Identify and define the most commonly used medicinal plants across the continents.
• Describe how medicinal plants are used in various cultures, how efficacy is measured, and explain in general terms the modes of action of selected medicinal plants.

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