Instituto Mesoamericano de Etnomedicina Indígena

What would it mean to grasp Mesoamerican flora diversity associated to ethnomedicine? 

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A research hub at the interface of science and conservation. For science. For people. For health. For preservation.

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The Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot is the third largest, from the forests of Mexico to Panama, fostering around 7% of the world's biodiversity.Sadly, it is also known for the rapid loss of biodiversity it is experiencing. Mesoamerica hosts a large number of floral diversity (for example, only in Guatemala, there are 10,317 flora species including more than 500 endemic species) for which there are specific groups of plants with therapeutic, food, spiritual, art, and cultural uses linked to their availability and distribution. However, these plant resources are in forests threatened to disappear due to changes in land use, urbanization, forest fires, and livestock. It is estimated a loss of approximately 500,000 hectares of forest between 2006 and 2010. This is a pattern observed among all Mesoamerican countries. The Rax Kawilal (Green Health) Institute & Herbarium for Mesoamerican Ethnomedicine is a partnership between Guatemalan and Swiss organizations from all societal sectors, aimed at contributing to the expansion of an evidence-based platform on traditional medicine to ensure its recognition and preservation for current and future generations.

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A source of life

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In Guatemala alone, indigenous peoples today hold knowledge on the uses of the forests' biodiversity and its proper management that spans over 2,000 years back. The forest represents a natural pharmacopeia for preventive and curative medicine that supports indigenous medical systems prominently. Through transdisciplinary processes, the Green Health team, which includes Indigenous Councils of Elders, has been researching this knowledge since 2010.

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A worldview 

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The Oxjlajuj B’aqtun marked the end of a 5,125 year era and the beginning of a new one, on December 21, 2012, which for those who share this worldview, marks a transition from secret knowledge to emancipatory knowledge shared for the regeneration of the planet. This change of era, known as the Fifth Sun, opened the pathway for mutual sharing of knowledge between the holders of traditional knowledge and those "with " ears to listen and eyes to see" from the scientific world. A decade of transdisciplinary research based on respect and equal footing between Maya Elders and Scientists has made this platform possible.

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An inspiration 

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The Q’eqchi’ Council Releb'aal Saq'e (ACGERS), along with other Councils of Elders integrating traditional healers, spiritual guides and herbalists, have been part of the Green Health team lead by Dr. Monica Berger under transdisciplinary platforms with different academics from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, ETH Zurich, Zurich University, Swiss Tropical and Public HealthInstitute, University College London, among others, to advance research on traditional ethnomedicine and ethnobotany. These projects have been part of a strategy to document and dignify traditional Maya medicine as a means to reachUniversal Health Coverage, as well as to recover, manage, and promote the preservation and assisted reproduction of key species before they disappear.

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There is now a dire need to create a place to host the dry collections, a seed repository and research on assisted reproduction for live species. Based in Guatemala, this Institute will hold the first herbarium of its kind to systematically document Mesoamerican plant diversity and its associated cultural and medical uses. Aimed to be an international space for mutual learning, the Rax Kawilal (Green Health) Institute & herbarium will work as a bridge between disciplines, cultures, people and countries. It will provide a space for rigorous transdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange between socio-epistemic systems, contributing to advancing a platform of evidence for traditional medicine while also acting as a DNA repository for understanding the evolution of plants, its chemicals, and the processes by which new plant species arise. This will become a natural resource heritage for the World, a place for respectful mutual learning between diverse people.

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Many Swiss and European scientists have committed to supporting the design of the Institute with its herbarium and live collection. Many thanks to:

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• Prof. Hubert Klumpner, Architecture Dept. ETH Zurich

• Dr. Caroline Weckerle, curator Zurich Uni botanical garden

• Dr. Reto Nyffeler, curator herbarium Zurich University

• Prof. Dr. Michael Heinrich, Head Ethnopharmacology UCL

• Prof. Dr. Jakob Zinsstag, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Inst.

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Further information 

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• Information on conservation efforts in Peten (ACGERS Council)​

• Selected Scientific Publications 

  • ​Traditional Herbal Medicine in Mesoamerica: Toward Its Evidence Base for Improving Universal Health Coverage

  • Green Health in Guatemala: How can we build mutual trust and partnerships to develop an evidence-base for local medicines and realize their potential?

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