Research on medicinal plants in Peru will be the topic of a student presentation by Linfield College seniors Anna Sours and Susana Fajardo.
“Traditional Medicinal Plant Use in Latin America” will be presented Monday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. in Jonasson Hall, lower level of Melrose Hall, at Linfield.
Sours, a sociology major, and Fajardo, an anthropology major, will present their comparative study conducted in Peru last summer to determine if medicinal plants are still a local source of healing and under what circumstances they are used. During their initial research, the two were joined by Tom Love, Linfield professor of anthropology, and John Syring, Linfield associate professor of biology. The remainder of the summer, the two worked with Douglas Sharon, the former director of both the San Diego Museum of Man and the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.
Sours and Fajardo will discuss their findings including a discussion of Peru’s rich history in medicinal plant use, the continued belief in medicinal healing and its relevance to local daily life. They will also discuss their work with EsSalud, a social security program in Peru that is unique for their inclusion of traditional medicinal healing along with Western-style medicine.
This event is free and open to the public, and sponsored by the International Programs Office. For more information, call 503-883-2222.
