The phytotherapist prepares medicines of natural origin, explains to the client the conditions of use, any unwanted effects and interactions with other pharmacological products of the phytotherapeutic preparations created by him or by others. Let’s find out better.

>   What the  phytotherapist does

>   How to become a  phytotherapist

>   Laws in Italy and Europe

>   Curiosity

>   Useful resources for the phytotherapist profession

What the phytotherapist does

The use of herbs to counteract the onset of diseases  dates back to ancient times, when the relationship between man and nature was still of a sacred, profound type. The use of plants is found in all human therapeutic systems, from the most ancient and based on observation and empiricism, to the most sophisticated and with high levels of theoretical complexity, up to modern biomedicine. Hippocrates, considered the father of Western medicine , cited the natural remedy as the doctor’s third tool, alongside touch and speech. Today science confirms the presence in herbs of active ingredients that constitute the primary ingredients (phytocomplexes) used by modern chemistry for the development of effective products for the care and health of the body.

Phytotherapy (from the Greek phyton , “plant”, and therapy , “cure”), sometimes also referred to as phytomedicine , has become that part of pharmacology that studies the therapeutic use of medicinal plants and the medicinal preparations obtained from them.

The phytotherapist is a professional figure able to effectively manage  magisterial or officinal galenic preparations . The first are those performed on the prescription of the phytotherapist who indicates the quality and quantity of each component according to the specific needs of the patient. For the latter, the phytotherapist refers to the National Formulary of the official pharmacopoeia (FU), which indicates its preparation, identifies the substances, the methods of storage and, in some cases, the expiry date.
Furthermore, if he works in specialized pharmacies, the phytotherapist explains to the client the conditions of use, any undesirable effects and interactions with other pharmacological products of the phytotherapeutic preparations created by him or by others.

Become a phytotherapist

The phytotherapist, after having obtained a specialist degree in Pharmacy or in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technologies or in Biological Sciences, to become professional, must do either a II level master or a specialization course.

You can learn more about all the benefits and contraindications of herbal medicine

The phytotherapist in Italy and abroad

The regulatory situation relating to phytotherapy remains unsatisfactory for the moment, and not only in Italy. In concrete terms, there is the recognized urgency at Community level to arrive at comprehensive regulation soon. In Spain, for example, traditional herbs can be sold freely, while in the Netherlands and Belgium forms of control are exercised but only on food phytotherapeutic products, not pharmacological ones. In Germany, herbal preparations are considered to be full-fledged drugs and the same efficacy and safety tests required by the European Union Directive 65/65 are theoretically required .

In our country for many years most of the phytomedicines have been produced and marketed in the form of food supplements according to the DL n.111-92 and this has contributed to create a lot of confusion and to minimize the possible risks deriving from their improper use. Only in 2004 with the DL n.169 / 2004 was clarification with a specific discipline on food supplements. A further clarification on the difference between food supplements, products intended for special diets and foods with added vitamins and minerals comes with the Ministerial Circular of November 5, 2009. Several bills have been presented in Parliamentto regulate phytomedicine, but none of them have become law.

Curiosity

Is the first written text on plant medicine made of clay and dates back to 3000 BC ? It consists of a series of tablets engraved with cuneiform characters from the Sumerian civilization. The discovery in Assyria of these tablets from the famous library of Nineveh made it possible to know the use for therapeutic purposes of belladonna , Indian hemp, coloquintis, opium and cassia.

Useful resources on the phytotherapist profession

• SIFIT (Italian Society of Phytotherapy) of the Department of Environmental Sciences “Giacomino Sarfatti”, Section of Pharmaceutical Biology of the University of Siena
• Phytosurveillance (surveillance of the safety of phytotherapeutic products) by the Higher Institute of Health
• ESCOP (European scientific cooperative on phytotherapy), an organization that brings together the various national associations that deal with phytomedicine and phytotherapy in Europe.