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Sep 16, 2007 6:47 pm US/Eastern
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Herbal Traditions Gain Academic Interest
FROSTBURG, Md. (AP) ―
Frostburg State University is among the first schools in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree in ethnobotany, the study of how people of a particular culture use native plants.
The school's new Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies is part of an effort to understand and capitalize on the
centuries-old herbal traditions of the region. The hope is to foster economic growth through managed development of medicinal plants.
Of immediate interest are ginseng, goldenseal and black cohosh. Researchers are seeking funds to test the compounds.
Retired U.S. Agriculture Department botanist James Duke sits on the advisory board and hopes to persuade the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to spend some medical research dollars on one particular weed, Sweet Annie, which has shown promise against malaria.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)