Following the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a small reception. 

The Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for their botanical diversity, which includes many plants with a long history of medicinal use by indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans and European colonizers. Even more remarkable is the fact that many of these plants still play an essential role in modern health care. Drawing from her years as a practicing herbalist, Patricia Kyritsi Howell will share stories about their historical uses and explain what recent research confirms about their healing properties.

All are invited to participate in HBF’s free Zahner lectures, which will be held at the Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road) on Thursdays through August 15. To preview HBF’s full Zahner lecture lineup, please visit highlandsbiological.org. The Highlands Nature Center is part of the Highlands Biological Station, a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University.