Medicinal Plants of the Amazon
Dates for WT2010: January 3 -22, 2010
PLSC 489X (3 credits)
Medicinal Plants of the Amazon and the Andes uses one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet as a classroom setting to expose students to the incredible biochemistry of the flora of primary and secondary tropical rainforest. Students will learn about local medicinal plants and local Peruvian uses of plant properties to treat a wide range of ailments. Local healers will demonstrate preparation and use of specific plants. Toxic components of tropical plants will be examined and drugs that have been derived from rainforest biochemistry will be discussed. Sustainability issues will be introduced and examined from pharmaceutical, “food pharmacy” and global health perspectives.
Students will be expected to create a final project of their own choosing that will be presented to the group upon return to Maryland. Students will have two or three days upon return to prepare the presentation for the last day “presentation sessions and class party” on January 22rd.
Participants will spend one night in a hotel in downtown Lima (or Lima airport depending on arrival time) and two nights in a modest guest house in Iquitos. Iquitos is considered the gateway to the Amazon. From Iquitos on, all transportation will be by boat. Amazon lodges are rustic wood cabins built off the ground to protect from flooding. Single beds are covered with mosquito netting and outhouses are a short walk away. The camp generators provide electricity to recharge camera batteries and provide limited refrigeration. Night light is provided by kerosene lamps, so participants should bring a flashlight or headlamp for night reading or walking.
FACULTY DIRECTORS
Dr. Jim Duke is a retired USDA Medicinal Plants Researcher. He has authored over thirty books on medicinal plants, over a wide geographical range. The Peruvian rainforest remains his favorite flora and despite years of retirement from the USDA, he has been busy leading "Pharmacy of the Rainforest Classes" collaboratively with a number of organizations and universities that provide academic and continuing education credits to students, pharmacists, doctors and nurses.
Dr. Andrea Ottesen recently completed her PhD in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Maryland. Her thesis work examines the microbial metagenomics of agricultural practices and their impact on public health issues. She has also worked for the past ten years with Jim Duke studying a large selection of Amazonian medicinal and toxic plants. An author on Dr. Duke’s most recent book, Latin American Medicinal Plants, CRC, she has also published several books of her own that focus on medicinal plants, toxins, botany and biochemistry of tropical fruits.
For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact the Study Abroad Office.