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HerbalEGram: Volume 8, Number 6, June 2011
ABC’s Internship Program Provides Unique Education to Pharmacy and Dietitian Students
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Among dietetic and pharmacy students, the American Botanical Council’s internship program is known for being completely different from all their other internships. Far away from the relatively cold, sterile environments common in many clinical programs, ABC interns complete their rotations at the organization’s large and inviting headquarters in Austin, TX, located on the historic, 158-year-old Case Mill Homestead. They spend their days researching herbal medicine-related scientific, clinical, and regulatory information, and have the opportunity to apply that newfound knowledge when preparing health promoting herb-based foods and remedies in ABC’s kitchen. To round out their experience, interns also spend time gaining hands-on knowledge while helping to maintain the expansive herb gardens filling ABC’s 2.5-acre property.
Not only do interns have fun during their ABC rotation, as recent dietetic intern, Cheryl Bixby, said, “It was also the 2 weeks where I actually learned the most new information out of all my different rotations.”
Since ABC established its formal internship program in 1998, it has been educating dietetic and pharmacy students on the numerous health benefits of herbs—a valuable experience that each student can use when they enter professional practice. According to Gayle Engels, ABC’s special projects director and former education director, the mission of the ABC internship program is to make student interns “better prepared to answer the questions of their patients in their future careers with an understanding of and knowledge base on herbal medicine that they would not have otherwise received.”
“It is an integral part of [ABC’s] mission to educate the public on the responsible use of herbal medicine and our vision that herbal medicine be an accepted part of healthcare,” said Engels.
The Learning Experience
Currently, ABC’s intern program works with the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Pharmacy and UT’s School of Human Ecology’s nutritional sciences program; Texas State University Department of Family and Consumer Sciences’ nutrition and foods program; and Oregon State University’s College of Pharmacy. ABC also welcomes interns from other universities and programs who have discovered internship opportunities through word of mouth or via intern information on ABC’s website.
During this academic year, from the fall of 2010 until the end of summer 2011, ABC will have hosted a total of 19 interns: 13 from dietetic programs, 4 from pharmacy schools (though 8 to 12 pharmacy students each year is more typical), and 2 independent interns. Last year, ABC provided internships to 21 students.
Herbal Research and Writing
By introducing students to the wealth of reputable information on herbs, ABC’s program helps interns become more confident in discussing the numerous health benefits of herbal medicine and in locating reliable scientific and clinical information on herbs.
“We have received strongly positive responses form our numerous pharmacy and dietitian interns over the years as to how the ABC internship experience has opened their minds to additional possibilities beyond their formal university-based curricula,” said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. For 6 years Blumenthal served as adjunct associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy at UT-Austin, teaching an elective course called “Herbs and Phytomedicines in Today’s Pharmacy.” Because his course is no longer offered, Blumenthal now serves a preceptor for the college, forming the basis for the ABC pharmacy rotations.
As Engels described it: “[Interns] get such a small introduction—if any—to herbs in their school programs. They had no idea there was so much good science to support the use of herbs and other dietary supplements.”
In addition to their scientific research, interns are familiarized with the rich history of herbal medicine, as well as various governmental and industry regulations. Also, past interns have completed projects such as writing an extensive, peer-reviewed article on herbs and thyroid disease published in ABC’s journal, HerbalGram, working on ABC’s Healthy Ingredients herb profiles, and developing continuing education materials for ABC’s online Herbal Information Course.
“The interns are quite often surprised to learn about the extensive regulations in the herbal industry and they then are even more open to using the herbs in their practice or at least in their personal life,” said ABC’s outgoing Education Coordinator, Rebecca Petee. “One of the dietetic interns recently asked me, ‘Why are they called alternative? Because I now realize that they have been in use throughout all of history on this planet and the Western system is more of an alternative.’”
“I fully realized that this is a ridiculous generalization that shortchanges an incredibly valuable scientific field,” Bixby said when discussing how most students are told that herbal medicine is unregulated and therefore mostly ineffective. “I strongly feel that most people would benefit massively from basic knowledge of herbal interventions and by integrating simple plant-based practices into their daily lives. While I cannot technically prescribe or advise on herbal matters as a dietitian, I can always suggest things and refer people to a qualified herbalist.”
Hands-On with Herbs
Interns also spend time learning about plants though hands-on experience. In ABC’s kitchen, interns learn how to prepare various herbal remedies, such as salves, tinctures, and medicinal honeys, and also practice making these products using fresh herbs from ABC’s gardens.
“I plan on integrating botanical practices more in my personal life,” said Bixby, “continuing to blend teas, sample flower essences, and make tinctures. This will also rub off on my loved ones, friends, and family—spreading the effects of my time at ABC to many other Americans who might be lacking some herbal love.”
They also work in ABC’s gardens, doing projects such as creating botanical informational signs for the gardens’ plants and assisting in planting various trees and shrubs, like tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), ginger (Zingiber spp.) and gotu kola (Centella asiatica). One past intern with photography experience created a virtual tour of the gardens for ABC’s website.
“This week, I’ve learned so much about what plants and trees look like, smell like, and feel like as well as what purposes they are useful for,” said recent dietetics intern Staci Olivarri. “Our garden walks have been the most enjoyable part of my week, as I got to ‘scratch and sniff’ so many different types of plant life.”
“I find that the majority of the students are impressed with the chance to see the plants in the gardens, to plant or harvest them, to taste and smell them,” said Petee. “It makes it real. The students can make a connection with an herb that draws their interest, and they can then research that herb. It means even more to them and they retain that information because it has a whole story—it has become a personal story for them.”
Other ABC internship activities include an herbal tea project, which consists of the interns researching herbs and designing and making a tea blend for specific conditions (e.g., digestive health, allergic rhinitis, anxiety and stress, headache, etc.). They also take field trips to Whole Foods, Central Market, or People’s Pharmacy for an introduction to the herbal teas and dietary supplements available in the marketplace, particularly those that have been subjects of clinical trials.
“The most rewarding aspect for me,” Engels continued, “is when I see the light go on in an intern’s eyes the moment they realize that herbal medicine is valid, that it can help people in a very noninvasive way, that the greater part of the world uses it and has done for millennia.”
The Program’s Future
While such an ambitious and important program is sure to have its challenges, the most constant obstacle is funding, a common issue for nonprofit organizations. According to Engels, more funding would allow ABC’s intern program to take on more projects, add new computer work stations to accommodate more interns, provide financial support to out-of-state interns, and/or expand the program to accommodate medical students who would like to expand their herbal knowledge.
“And because much of what the interns work on directly benefits ABC members, with additional funding we could add staff in the education department, increasing the number of educational projects that ABC provides and creating content for our website to better educate our constituents.”
More information on ABC’s internship program is available on ABC’s website. More information on applying for the position of ABC’s new education coordinator can be found here. For more information on helping to fund ABC’s educational internships, contact Denise Meikel, ABC’s development director, at 512-926-4900 or by e-mail.
—Lindsay Stafford
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