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Medicinal Plants

The Samburu people of northern Kenya have long used native plants for food, shelter, traditional medicines, dyes, oils, intoxicants, fuel, beverages, fibers, tools, religious purposes, and cash income. Far from modern medical facilities, maintaining traditional knowledge and managing the medicinal plant populations are crucial. Through this project, researchers document the medicinal plants used by the Samburu people, the extent of use, the economic value of the species, and the extent of trade of medicinal plants. more

Medicinal Plants

The Samburu people of northern Kenya have long used native plants for food, shelter, traditional medicines, dyes, oils, intoxicants, fuel, beverages, fibers, tools, religious purposes, and cash income. Far from modern medical facilities, maintaining traditional knowledge and managing the medicinal plant populations are crucial. Through this project, researchers document the medicinal plants used by the Samburu people, the extent of… more

Trip at-a-glance

Price: From $3,649* per person
Lodging: homestay
When: May, July, August, November
Number of days: 14
Group size: 10

This trip is offered by:

Earthwatch Institute

Call them at 800-776-0188 about this trip and mention you saw it at TravelDragon, or contact them.

Trip details

Working with Dr. Callistus Ogol, Dr. Paul Okemo, and Dr. Isaiah Ndiege, you will interview local community members to explore their use of medicinal plants, such as ailments treated, mode of harvesting, type of use, and frequency of use. You will also help identify and collect plants in the field, determine their abundance and distribution, and process them by tagging, pressing, and drying. You will help with questionnaire data entry, such as recording species and local names of medicinal plants sold in markets, ailments treated, relative volumes, source of medicines, pricing, the amounts sold and frequency of market visits by vendors. The information you collect will help build a database of knowledge and resource use, which will help local resource managers in planning for the sustainable use of medicinal plants. In addition to your daily glimpses of African wildlife, you will also go on wildlife drives in nearby reserves.

Earthwatch will bring you together with the Principal Investigators, research technicians, students and the community to collect information necessary for developing conservation and management strategies essential for establishing legislation and other guidelines to save biological resources in the Samburu-Laikipia landscape. Such information will range from field based data collection, such as taking identity photographs of the Grevy’s zebras, measuring water quantity in dams or estimating range conditions, to lab based work, such as computer entry of the day’s fieldwork or pressing plant samples for taxonomic studies.

As an Eons member, you'll get a free, 1 year membership to Earthwatch — a $35 value — when you sign up on any expedition. And members pay $100 less on their expedition contribution — so you save $135! Just put code EONS2007 in the comment field on the signup form, or, if you call, tell the Expedition Coordinator that you found us on Eons.

Earthwatch expedition-related costs may be tax-deductible in the US as volunteer expenses. Please check with your tax adviser.

*TRAVEL INFORMATION DISCLAIMER: Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.

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