Physical Description |
371 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
Note |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Summary |
"A leading medical ethnobotanist tells us the story of her quest to develop new ways to fight illness and disease through the healing powers of plants in this uplifting and adventure-filled memoir. Plants are the basis for an array of lifesaving and health-improving medicines we all now take for granted. Ever taken an aspirin? Thank a willow tree for that. What about life-saving medicines for malaria? Some of those are derived from cinchona and wormwood. In today's world of synthetic pharmaceuticals, scientists and laypeople alike have lost this connection to the natural world. But by ignoring the potential of medicinal plants, we are losing out on the opportunity to discover new life-saving medicines needed in the fight against the greatest medical challenge of this century: the rise of the post-antibiotic era."-- Provided by publisher. |
Contents |
My Leg and the Wilderness -- Welcome to the Jungle -- Worms in the Belly -- An Unexpected Houseguest -- Wash and Fold -- From the Field to the Lab -- Babies and Biofilms -- A Lab of My Own -- The Sea Cabbage -- Billy Fell Off the Swing -- The One-Legged Hunter -- Cassandra's Curse. |
Subject |
Quave, Cassandra Leah.
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People with disabilities -- United States -- Biography.
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Medicinal plants.
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Ethnobotany.
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Autobiographies.
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Alternate Title |
Scientist's quest for nature's next medicines |
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