Thurs 17 Jan — Thurs 14 Mar 2013

Time:

7.30 pm — 9.00 pm

Location:

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (find us)

Venue:

Board Room Annex

Price:

£65, £58.50 for Members

Booking:

Booking Required. Please call the education office on 0131 248 2937.

This eight week course aims to look at traditional medicine managed by wise people in tribes, principally in Amazonia, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. An insight will be given into the depth of Traditional Indigenous Medicine looking at topics such as Mythology, Shamanism and medicinal uses of plants by these peoples. Topics covered on the course will include:

1. General introduction to area, terrain, location and culture of ethnic groups in Amazonia.

2. The Maloka: Ritual and daily centre for daily life and healing. Symbolises the young fertile mother, the world and the universe.

3. The Sabedores – or knowledgeable ones, their training. Methods of diagnosis and healing. Management of energies using plants and other elements. Definitions of Shamans and Sabedores.

4. Traditional indigenous use of Ritual and Sacred Plants such as tobacco, coca, ayahuasca. How use of ritual plants is relevant to indigenous healing and the respect that is held for these sacred plants.

5. Collection and cultivation of ritual, medicinal and daily survival plants. Forest, varzea and introduction to the indigenous chagra garden so vital to their ritual and daily subsistence.

6. Preventative Medicine: Plants used in daily life for prevention of illness. Managing the balance of the body, community and environment.

7. Healing Plants: Collection, preparation and use of healing plants. Comparison with plant use in modern herbal medicine and orthodox medicine. Combination of orthodox and indigenous medicine.

8. Ethnobotany/ethnomedicine field techniques. Methodology used for field projects including preparation, action and follow up. Round up of course, discussion.

Taught by Dr Ann Simpson, University of Strathclyde.

See the video A glimpse into the Amazon at Edinburgh's Botanic Garden