Learn Ayurvedic Herbalism
DRAVYAGUNA: The AYURVEDIC APPROACH TO MATERIA MEDICA
Learning Outcomes
After this course, you’ll have a strong foundation in Ayurvedic herbalism and the confidence to begin incorporating herbs into your personal practice or client work. Whether you’re an Ayurvedic student, wellness practitioner, yoga teacher, or herbal enthusiast, this course will give you the tools to deepen your therapeutic offerings and speak about herbs with greater clarity and confidence. You’ll walk away with knowledge that supports both clinical and everyday use—and a more intimate connection to the plant allies of the Ayurvedic tradition.
Curriculum
Get started with Ayurvedic herbalism by learning how to prepare and work with foundational herbs from the AAC lists.
Build your herbal vocabulary through in-depth study of classical materia medica.
Explore how herbs support digestion and how to choose the right ones based on doṣa and agni.
Learn herbal approaches for common imbalances in the respiratory system.
Understand how herbs can be used to support cardiovascular and urinary health.
Study rejuvenative tonics and herbal protocols for managing conditions like diabetes.
Discover herbal applications in massage therapy and external body treatments.
Learn how to begin formulating personalized herbal blends for your clients.
Get an introduction to herbal support for pañcakarma and the use of bhasmas (calcined minerals).
Competencies
Demonstrated ability and knowledge to safely recommend predesigned herbal medicines, minerals and other natural substances for internal or external use with consideration of the dose (mātra), vehicle (anupāna) and timing (auśadha kāla) for the purpose of balancing agni (digestive fire), eliminating āma (undigested material) while supporting the malas (waste) and protecting and building ojas (essence of life), and treating disease.
Demonstrated ability and knowledge to administer, combine, provide, compound, and dispense herbal medicines, minerals, or other natural substances. Herbs may be used for internal or external use for the purpose of balancing agni (digestive fire) and eliminating āma (undigested material) while supporting the malas (waste) and protecting and building ojas (essence of life), as well as for treating specific diseases affecting any dhātu (tissues), upadhātu (by products of nutrition), malas (waste) or srotas (pathways) in any stage of the disease pathology.
Demonstrated ability and knowledge to make the following recommendations and provide the following treatments and interventions:
- Appropriate herbs to balance agni (digestive fire), eliminate āma (undigested material) and support the malas (waste)while protecting and building ojas (essence of life).
- Pre-designed herbal formulas or create custom herbal formulations that include the use of herbs, minerals or other natural substances for internal or external use with
consideration of dose (mātra), vehicle (anupāna) and timing (auśadha kāla). - Prescribe herbal and related medicines for the purpose of treating disease.
Knowledge of:
- Herb classification and their energetics based on taste (rasa), potency (vīrya), post-digestive effect (vipāka), quality (guṇa) and unique action (prabhāva)
- The actions of herbs (karma). The counselor is informed of the major actions of an herb. When Western terminology matches the Saṁskṛta t terminology, the Western terms should be known. When a unique action is described in Saṁskṛta that has no simple translation into English, then the Saṁskṛta terminology for that action should be known
- The effect an herb has on the agni (digestive fire), āma (undigested material), doṣas, and malas (waste)
- How to prepare powdered mixtures (cūrṇa)
- Appropriate dosage (mātra) based on age, strength, doṣas, agni (digestive fire) and pattern of elimination ( koṣṭha)
- The indications for using herbs and contraindications to assure safe use
- Herbs based on storage, processing, purity and government regulations
- The use of appropriate herb and herbal related medicines for the management of
specific disease conditions. - The effect an herb has on dhātu (tissues) and srota (pathways)
- Different anupānas (adjuvants) to target different doṣas and dhātus (tissues)
Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa
Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, Yogaraj (Ayurveda), A.D., D.N.-C, R.H., has over 50 years of experience in holistic medicine, and is one of the foremost natural healing experts in North America. Khalsa is President Emeritus of the American Herbalists Guild, director emeritus of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, and is a respected teacher, writer and lecturer.
Khalsa is a state certified dietitian-nutritionist, a nationally registered herbalist, and a nationally certified massage therapist. He offers health consultations by phone with clients around the world.
As the author of over 3,000 published health articles, K.P. Khalsa has written or edited 30 books on a variety of health topics, including major works on massage, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and physiology. His recent book, The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs, co-authored with Michael Tierra, brings Ayurveda to life in an understandable and practical way.
Khalsa is a professor at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, a founding faculty member in the Ayurvedic Sciences program at Bastyr University, and a faculty member in the Botanical Medicine Department at the National College of Natural Medicine, where he trains naturopathic medical students, and teaches Ayurveda.
For 30 years Khalsa served as Senior Research Scientist and Chief Medical Formulator for Yogi Tea, an Ayurvedic medicinal tea company. He also served at Peace natural products, and at Golden Temple, where he created an extensive line of Ayurvedic body care products, including the Soothing Touch Ayurvedic massage product line.
Today K.P. Khalsa’s approach to holistic healing is very eclectic. His work is focused on herbalism, the medical and therapeutic value of Yoga, Ayurvedic massage, meditation and other holistic therapies. He lives with his family in Eugene, Oregon.
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