My teaching covers undergraduate and postgraduate aspects of medicinal plant and natural product research with a strong focus on applied aspects especially as they relate to everyday practice in community pharmacy and to patients' use of herbal medical products. This is centered around the molecular pharmacology of natural products and plant extracts and also incorporates global health perspectives, most notably the use of herbal medicines in migrant groups and the impact of functional foods and local medicines on population health.

 Healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, are often confronted with patients who use over-the-counter (OTC) herbal medicinal products and food supplements. While taking responsibility for one’s own health and treatment options is encouraged, many patients use these products based on limited (and sometimes inaccurate) information from non-scientific sources, such as the popular press and internet.  A recent textbook is both a teaching aid and serves as a guide on herbal medicinal products for pharmacists and other health-care professionals:

Edwards, S., I. Rocha da Costa, E.M. Williamson and M. Heinrich 2005. Phytopharmacy - an evidence-based guide to herbal medicines. Wiley Chichester.

Our textbook 'Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy' (Heinrich, M., J. Barnes, S. Gibbons and E.M. Williamson, 2013,  Edinburgh & London. Churchill Livingston -Elsevier) is now in its second edition.