"Certified Phytotherapy Training Program" , which will be held for 3 months (24 September – 24 December ) at Bezmialem Vakıf University Phytotherapy Research and Application Center has begun and it will take place at Turkey's YÖK approved First Phytotherapy Center.
Our rector Prof. Dr. Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu, Faculty of Pharmacy Dean Prof. Dr. Gülaçtı Topçu, Phytotherapy Training, Research and Application Center president Prof. Dr. Murat Kartal and a large number of academicians and specialist doctors attended the Ministry of Health approved Certified Phytotherapy Training Program , which was held for specialist doctors.
Our rector Prof. Dr. Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu, who spoke at the opening of the program quoted that the importance of Turkeys rich and valuable plant varieties is not well known enough and that the plants in Europe and America are quite well valued and said that "They buy the material from us and gain by selling to us with a small procedure at a much higher cost. Among our goals are realizing this source, increasing its quality and standards, analyzing it and turning it into a useful product by processing it".
Later on Faculty of Pharmacy Dean Prof. Dr. Gülaçtı Topçu who carried out a presentation on "Definition of Phytotherapy, History and Development", stated that in ancient times plants were humans first means of treatment and that many important active medicine materials were discovered by being isolated from plants but that synthetic drugs acquired currency parallel to the developments in the chemical and medicine industry after the 19th century. Our Dean, who mentioned phytotherapy's development during time and modern phytotherapy's place in generally protective and supplementary medicine, thanked the participants and referred to the importance of the Certified Phytotherapy Training Program and offered her thanks to the senior management who supported the program.
Ministry of Health , Conventional and Complementary Medicine Applications Head of Dept. Dr. M. Zafer Kalaycı stated the emphasis which the World Health Organization and our government gives to correct phytotherapy practices and Phytotherapy Training Program for physicians.
While stating that 30 physicians would be obtaining their certificates from the Ministry of Health at the end of the 3 month training , Phytotherapy Training, Research and Application Center president Prof. Dr. Murat Kartal also stated as ;"Physicians will be able to prescribe herbs. These physicians will be the ones who will obtain Phytotherapy Specialist titles. For years we have actually pushed away a very rich source with the back of our hands." Kartal, states that this center carries out herbal product and medicine quality control and that they will make sure the products in Turkey will reach the public in good quality.
