» Herbal Events
KU Plant Project Wins Funding
By The Capital-Journal
December 18, 2009 - 9:29am
LAWRENCE — A new native medicinal plant research program at The University of Kansas has earned funding for a five-year, $5 million project titled "Innovation Center for Advanced Plant Design: Plants for the Heartland."
The program will look into the potential of native plants from Kansas and the region as botanical remedies, dietary supplements, cosmetic products and pharmaceutical or veterinary agents.
Funding from the Kansas Bioscience Authority has created Heartland Plant Innovations Inc. to oversee development and progress of the project. Biologically active compounds derived from plants have been useful in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Plant derivatives are effective medicinal compounds in their natural form and as templates for synthetic modification. More than 20 new drugs with origins in terrestrial plants have been marketed between 2000 and 2009.
The laboratories of Barbara Timmermann, university distinguished professor and chairwoman of medicinal chemistry, and Kelly Kindscher, senior scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey, will combine their experience in floristic studies, ethnobotany, medicinal and natural product chemistry to conduct research on plants, their uses, production, conservation and potential for success in the marketplace.
Plant collection and ecological assessment will be performed in the wild. Chemical research and biological assays will be conducted in the research laboratories at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, Structural Biology Center and the Kansas Biological Survey on KU's west campus. Research plots will be established on land owned by KU Endowment near the Lawrence airport. The KU Field Station will play a role in the biomedical research by providing secure access to high-quality agricultural land, as well as direct support for the development of cultivation research plots and native plant production.
Smithsonian Botanical Symposium 2010 — Presented by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany in collaboration with the United States Botanic Garden with support from the Cuatrecasas Family Foundation:
"Food For Thought: 21st Century Perspectives on Plants and People"
24-25 September 2010
National Museum of Natural History and the U.S. Botanic Garden, Washington, DC
People are dependent upon plants for food, clothing, medicine, fuel and other necessities of life. Humans and plants have interacted for as long as humans have existed, but our relationship is not static. Since the advent of agriculture we have exerted evolutionary pressure on plants that are of importance to us. Indigenous and industrialized societies have interacted with plants in their environments and influenced not only crop plants, but also cultural landscapes. The Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, hosted by the Departments of Botany and Anthropology, will examine the 21st century transformation of the study of interactions between plants and people. The invited speakers will cover a wide range of topics: from the role molecular biology now has in elucidating crop domestication to the ways in which peoples across myriad ecosystems interact with specific plants and landscapes.
Saturday October 2nd, 2010 - Planting the Future - Goldenseal Sanctuary, Rutland, OH contact UpS for details
Saturday, October 9th - 10am to 4 pm - Admission $10
Herb Day Celebration
Location: Wellness Works
1209 Lakeside Drive, Brandon, FL 33510
Includes access to all lectures, vendors and raffles. Children under 16 admitted free.
For more information please visit:
www.imherbalist.com or call 813-991-5177
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to United Plant Savers
Saturday, October 9th - NOFA-NH New Hampshire Herbal Network's 2nd Annual Fall Herb & Garlic Day, an Herbal Education event to be held at the McLane Audubon Center in Concord, NH.
This Harvest celebration will be of much interest to the people of New Hampshire; foodies, environmentalists, activists, farmers, gardeners, herbalists, consumers, families, children and Leaf Peepers from all over!
visit our website www.nofanh.org/herbday for more details.
