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Essentials of Veterinary Medicinal Mushrooms

Courses
Duration:

10 Weeks

Six week course with ten weeks access to content and tutor support; 30 hours
Price:

$595.00 USD

Tutors and Lecturers:
Dr Rob Silver DVM MS CVA FACVBM

Enrolments for our next course intake will open soon. Please email enrolment@civtedu.org with your expression of interest.

About the Course

Course Synopsis

Would you like to learn whether medicinal mushrooms have the scientific credibility and practical value for you to add to your clinical tools? This six module online course will help you make that informed decision. In this course, you will find a plethora of information, some of it rather technical and scientific, and some of it practical and anecdotal, derived from the knowledge and experience of the author and course presenter, Dr Rob Silver.

In addition to the recorded presentations of these six modules, Dr Silver has provided extensive lecture notes for each module, and numerous peer-reviewed articles detailing the specific information in each module.

There are not very many published studies of mushroom use, either as clinical trials or as research studies for mushrooms in veterinary species, so Dr Silver has extracted from the large number of published studies in human patients, in laboratory animals, and in vitro studies, to support your understanding of the clinical value of mushrooms for your patients, and to inform your practical application of mushrooms for your patients.

Along with the online recorded PowerPoints, there will be two live tutorials and a forum providing live, online interactions with Dr Silver to ask questions and to learn about new developments and studies in the medicinal mushroom field.

Dr Silver will be available throughout the course by email to answer any questions that the course material may have raised for you, to ensure that your understanding of mushrooms and their clinical applications is accurate and will be clinically effective.

Please click the image below to view a video of Dr Rob Silver outlining the course content.

Please note that this is an evidence-based course delivered by qualified and experienced practitioners but is not an Australian government-accredited qualification.

Study Outcomes

Course Objectives

At the end of this course participants will:

  • Have a working knowledge of the potential veterinary clinical applications of 12 functional mushrooms
  • Understand the anatomy and taxonomy of mushrooms
  • Learn how mushrooms have a life cycle and how that life cycle speaks to their potency
  • Gain an appreciation for the many active constituents of mushrooms and their mechanisms of action and clinical relevance
  • Know how to administer and dose mushrooms and mushroom extracts in a clinical context
  • Be able to select the appropriate mushroom product for a patient based on manufacturing, quality control and potency considerations
  • Understand how to triage hemangiosarcoma in dogs based on the most recent Turkey Tail study of 2022
  • Learn how beta glucans and chitin, found in the fibrous fungal cell wall are potent prebiotics and help support a functionally healthy microbiome
  • Discover how triterpenes found in Reishi and Chaga can be of benefit in allergies and mast cell tumors
  • Understand more about extract ratios and what they mean for both solid extracts versus liquid extracts
  • Discover why Lion’s Mane, Ergothioneine and Tremella can benefit dogs and cats with cognition issues
  • Learn about which mushroom product formats lend themselves the best for veterinary applications
  • Appreciate the true meaning of adaptogen, and understand why Reishi and Cordyceps are the only true mushroom adaptogens.

Credits

  • 10 RACE Credits
Download Brochure
Dr Rob Silver

Meet the Tutors and Lecturers

Dr Rob Silver
DVM MS CVA FACVBM
Dr Robert Silver is a 1982 graduate of Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his Master’s Degree in cardiopulmonary physiology in 1976, and his Bachelor’s degree with honors in Animal Science...
1 Webinar and 1 Course

What will you Learn

Module One: Introduction to the Fungal Kingdom and its Mushrooms

This module covers:

  • An introduction to the Fungal Kingdom
  • The history of mushroom use by humans
  • Fungal taxonomy
  • The structure of mushrooms
  • The nutritional value of mushrooms
  • The fungal lifecycle
  • Mushroom cultivation techniques
  • Introduces the mushroom polypharmacy

Module Two: Beta Glucans and Chitin: Masters of...

Module One: Introduction to the Fungal Kingdom and its Mushrooms

This module covers:

  • An introduction to the Fungal Kingdom
  • The history of mushroom use by humans
  • Fungal taxonomy
  • The structure of mushrooms
  • The nutritional value of mushrooms
  • The fungal lifecycle
  • Mushroom cultivation techniques
  • Introduces the mushroom polypharmacy

Module Two: Beta Glucans and Chitin: Masters of the Microbiome

This module covers the first two elements of the mushroom polypharmacy derived from the fibrous fungal cell wall:

  • Beta glucan chemistry and structure
  • Beta glucan sources
  • Beta glucan mechanisms of action
  • Clinical applications for beta glucans in veterinary medicine
  • Chitin chemistry and structure
  • Chitin sources
  • Biological applications for chitin

Module Three: The Mushroom Polypharmacy

This module covers the following mushroom biologically-active compounds

  • Terpenes: diterpenes/triterpenes
  • Ergothioneine
  • Ergosterol
  • Glutathione
  • Lipids
  • Nucleosides
  • Cordycepin
  • Polysaccharides
  • Polyphenolics

Module Four: Practicum

This module covers practical aspects of mushroom use in veterinary patients. Topics we cover include:

  • Animal product formats for mushroom extracts
  • Dosing strategies
  • Extraction methodologies
  • Extract ratios
  • Clinical Applications

Module Five: Materia Medica (A-P)

This module begins discussing the details of individual mushroom species that are commonly used for medicinal applications. In this module we cover these mushroom and fungal species:

  • Agaricus species
  • Cordyceps species
  • Chaga
  • Lion’s Mane
  • Maitake
  • Poria

Module Six: Materia Medica (P-T)

This module begins discussing the details of individual mushroom species that are commonly used for medicinal applications. In this module we cover these mushroom species:

  • Psilocybe species
  • Pleurotus species
  • Reishi
  • Shiitake
  • Tremella fuciformis
  • Turkey Tail
Read More
Download Brochure
Essentials of Veterinary Medicinal Mushrooms

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Submit your information and we will send the brochure to the provided email address.
 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more about the questions that our students asked?
Is online study right for me?

The College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies offers courses that are both challenging and rewarding. You can learn at your own pace under the tutelage of experts in their field. Online or distance learning is not for everyone. Think carefully before you enroll. To succeed in online learning and distance education you will need:

  • A commitment to study and enquiry
  • To be capable of self directed learning with our guidance and support through your course
  • Motivation to pursue your course of study
  • Access to the internet and a printer
  • A good internet service that provides a good speed for downloads
  • An enthusiasm for engaging with your tutors and peers
  • The ability to work on your own or collaborate in a team
  • The capability of an independent level of written and spoken English
  • An appointment by phone may be requested prior to course commencement- we don't want you to start if we think we can't provide the right experience for you
  • If you are not sure contact us, we can help you gain a  full understanding of our courses before applying.

What you won't need is to pay airfares, travel, hotel bills by participating in green education!

All our courses are available to enrol at any time.  Our courses are part time, self paced within the course timeframe, and fully online.  Sometimes there is a scheduled start date for a course, in which we accept a group intake of enrolments. This encourages a cohort of students to move through the course together, making for a more interactive learning experience.

Although some courses have live sessions available, there are no live sessions that you are required to attend for any of our courses.  Our courses are delivered online and are self paced within the course timeframe, to give you the greatest flexibility with your study. You can study anywhere, anytime that suits you. We have great learning tools such as lectures, comprehensive course notes, videos, online resources, discussion forum and continuous support from our highly qualified and experienced tutors to help you can get the most out of your course.

Please refer to our enrolment terms and conditions when seeking extra time in a course, https://civtedu.org/enrolment-terms-and-conditions 

If you take a "leave of absence/deferral" from a course this freezes your progress in the course.  You will have no access to the course during this time.  A request for a leave of absence/deferral can be made for up to 3 months, initially.  Longer periods of time away from the course can be reviewed after this time.  If you want to use any course resources whilst you are taking your leave of absence/deferral you will need to download the material (such as documents, course notes, reading material) beforehand.  There is no fee to take a leave of absence/deferral, however your regular payment instalments for the course will continue.

If you request an "extension" for a course, you may be given extra time in a course and still have full access to the course.  An extension can be granted for up to, or equal to, the maximal period of study for that course.  There is a fee involved in applying for an extension, this varies according to the amount of extra time requested and is found on the link provided.

 

This depends on the type of course you enrol in.

Our introductory or short courses require approximately 3-5 hours per week.  Our Certifications and Graduate Diplomas require approximately 5-10 hours per week.  This will vary amongst individuals, depending on the pace in which they learn.  More time may be needed each week, depending on how long an individual needs to spend on completing assignments. 

If you are a registered Veterinarian, you are eligible to enrol in any of our courses, https://civtedu.org/courses 

If you are a Veterinary Technician or Veterinary Nurse or Animal Health Professional you may be able to apply to enrol in selected courses for Veterinarians, however you will need to go through an eligibility process first. Otherwise, you can apply for our courses for Animal Health Professionals, https://civtedu.org/courses/animal-health-professionals 

If you are a Pet Owner, you can apply for our courses designed for Pet Owners, https://civtedu.org/courses/pet-owners 

 

Earn your own CIVT certificate of completion

The College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies offers courses that are both challenging and rewarding. You can learn at your own pace under the tutelage of experts in their field. What you won’t need is to pay airfares, travel, hotel bills by participating in green education!

Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the program, as per the stipulated requirements.

Enrolments for our next course intake will open soon. Please email enrolment@civtedu.org with your expression of interest.

Extend your knowledge with our Webinars

Access webinars in your preferred time or join with our upcoming live webinars
Western Herbs and Mushrooms for the Veterinary Cancer Patient
Western Herbs and Mushrooms for the Veterinary Cancer Patient
Dr Gary Richter MS DVM GDVWHM CVC CVA FACVBM
Medicinal Mushrooms: Research Review and Practical Veterinary Applications to Use Now
Medicinal Mushrooms: Research Review and Practical Veterinary Applications to Use Now
Dr Barbara Fougere BSc BVMS (Hons) MODT BHSc (CMed) MHSc (Herb Med) FACVBM GDVA GDVCHM GDVWHM CVA (IVAS) CVBM CVCP CMAVA