The Plant Hunter: A Quest for Nature's Next Medicines

Nature on My Mind

Ever taken an aspirin? Thank a willow tree for that. Ever received a shot of numbing medication at the dentist’s office prior to a procedure? That was originally discovered in a plant too—the cocoa plant from the Andes. What about a painkiller for surgery? Morphine from opium poppy really takes the edge off the post-op pain. Plants are the basis for an array of lifesaving and health-improving medicines we all now take for granted. Ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave shows us how important studying plants is while sharing her own incredible journey as told in her memoir The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines.

About Dr. Cassandra Quave

Cassandra Leah Quave, PhD, is the herbarium curator and an associate professor of dermatology and human health at Emory University. She is also the co-founder and CEO/CSO of PhytoTEK LLC, a drug-discovery company dedicated to developing solutions from botanicals for the treatment of recalcitrant antibiotic-resistant infections. Dr. Quave is a fellow of the Explorers Club, a former president of the Society for Economic Botany, and a recipient of the Emory Williams Teaching Award and Charles Heiser, Jr. Mentor Award. She is the co-creator and host of the podcast Foodie Pharmacology. A leader in the field of medical botany, she has authored more than 100 scientific publications and has been featured in the New York Times Magazine and BBC Focus, as well as on PBS, NPR, and the National Geographic Channel.

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