SSEP 2024: The Chemistry of Herbal Medicine: A Complex Molecular Story

Term: Summer 2024

Instructor: Mona Kulp

Description of course: A large portion of the world’s population has a rich tradition of relying on plants for their medicinal properties. There is also a surging interest in integrating alternative medicine into contemporary western medical practice. Along with this interest, there is a growing realization in the scientific community that we need to better understand the safety and efficacy of these herbal medicines. In this course, we will start with plant material and go through the process of extracting and analyzing the compounds found in some commonly used herbal preparations. This course will also look at examples in the peer-reviewed literature to understand how these compounds alter the biochemistry of the human body and their impacts on human health. In addition to the analytical instruments and resources available in the Chemistry department for analyzing these samples, the students taking the course are also exposed to additional resources on the Smith campus, including the Mortimer Rare Book Room for historical material on the use of herbal medicine and the Botanic Gardens, which will provide some of the medicinal plants used in the experiments. There are no prerequisites for this course. The course is designed as an introductory experience for students who have an interest in both chemistry and biology. The students will be introduced to ideas in chemistry and biology in an interdisciplinary setting so that they can build connections between the two disciplines.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images (#1-5) of plant leaves examined in this course.

#1: Image of a Catmint plant leaf.

#2: Image of a Beebalm plant leaf.

#3: Image of a Rosemary plant leaf.

#4: Image of a Mint plant leaf.

#5: Image of a Sage plant leaf.