Ethnobotany & Traditional Medicine

Our Ethnobotany & Traditional Medicine interns will work at the intersection of contemporary and traditional medicine as it is used, shared, implemented, and recounted in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The interns will work with local healers and specialists to gain an understanding of the role of traditional healing practices, including primary plant species and their uses. This internship provides the opportunity to gain an understanding of traditional phytotherapy practices while helping to preserve the local knowledge of indigenous peoples. Projects might include:
Identifying local primary medicinal plants and understanding their importance in traditional medicine
Establishing working relationships with alternative healthcare providers and specialists
Obtaining a holistic understanding of local healing traditions
Working and learning from local shamans and healers
Studying the practices of medicinal plant-based midwifery from indigenous public health and cultural preservation group
Collaborating with farmers to discover new and potentially marketable, eco-friendly, medicinal, or edible products for national or international distribution

In addition to engaging in unique Amazonian activities such as swimming in waterfalls, turning cacao into chocolate, and trekking in the virgin rainforest, our immersion internship program offers the chance to become part of an Ecuadorian family and community, dive deep into language learning (Spanish and Kichwa!), and create your own community-based projects.

English, Spanish