THE BUTE Medical School at St Andrews University is leading the way in the United Kingdom with the launch yesterday of a course focusing on the teaching of complementary and alter-native medicine.

A new module for St Andrews medical students—entitled Back To the Future—Better Health Through Functional Foods and Complementary Medicine—has been organised by teaching and research fellow, Dr Margaret Ritchie.

She explained that although teaching complementary and alternative medicine within the medical curriculum has been recommended by the General Medical Council, the Bute Medical School is the first in the UK to give students an insight into the techniques involved in the preparation of herbal medicines, together with hands-on experience.

The module is for second-year students, and Dr Ritchie revealed that 30% of the population now use complementary and alternative medicines, with the most popular being herbal medicine.

She added, “Herbal medicine has been used in the treatment of ailments for thousands of years. Approximately 30% of drugs used in disease treatment are derived from plants. Since the stone age, when even the humble cavemen used opium, interest in and use of complementary medicine is increasing.”

She said, however, that despite the fact that plant compounds have a valuable role in the prevention and treatment of disease, there are increasing concerns about public safety relating to the use of plant-based products, for example the risk of herb/drug inter- actions.

“Our new course for second year students will help address these crucial issues and better prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Yesterday’s initiative also involved a demonstration lecture on herbal medicine by medical herbalist Jay Mackinnon, a PhD student at St Andrews, and a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, who is involved in private practice in the town.

The session introduced the breadth of traditions that use herbal medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and western herbal medicine.

Western herbal medicine was covered in greater depth, examining how herbal medicine is practised in the UK today, the role of the herbal practitioner in an integrative medical approach and the herbal perspective on some common disorders.

The practical session let students test their own knowledge of medicinal plants and plant preparations and saw them use beeswax granules and Egyptian marigold petals and oil to produce a herbal hand cream.