Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
"Plants that Heal and Human History"
John Riddle, Ph.D.
- Thursday, April 13, 2000 – 7:30 pm–9:00 pm
Cato the Elder said that gardens not only nourish, they heal. The illustrated lecture will explore some interesting aspects of plant-human history. Humans, more common than celebrated, discovered, mostly serendipitously, the numerous beneficial uses that plants provide. They discovered plants that caused sleeping, making one happy at parties, for loosing weight, for gaining weight, for restoration of hair growth, for arthritis (including one plant said better than bee sting), for gout (some thing we use today as a "magic bullet"), cancer (including primary chemotherapy agents employed today), lowering cholesterol levels, and even antibiotics ("grime from gymnasium wall"). An example to demonstrate the importance of herbal medicine in human history will be a discussion with picture of birth control agents for regulating family size. Plants acted as both contraceptives and abortifacients. Emphasis will be placed on those birth control plants growing in the JC Raulston Arboretum. Both Cato and Jerry Stannard were correct about the importance of plants that heal.
- Cost
- Free for Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum members, NC State University students (with ID), and Department of Horticultural Science faculty and staff, all others $5.00.
- Registration
- Advance registration is not available.
- Location
- Room 159, Kilgore Hall, NC State University.
- Directions
- Kilgore Hall is located on the southeast corner of Brooks Avenue and Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.
- Parking
- Free parking is available in the Brooks Avenue lot located on the northeast corner of Brooks Avenue and Hillsborough Street.
- Questions
- Please call (919) 515-3132 for more information about this lecture.