How Does a Plant Become a Medicine?

This question might be answered differently in Uganda, Switzerland, and Colombia—and yet surprising connections emerge. As part of the special exhibition Plants as Medicine – Diversity in Switzerland, we invite you to a conversation exploring different perspectives on local healing knowledge.

A healer from Uganda involved in a research project on the transformation of traditional medicine, a Switzerland-based shaman, and an artist duo doing research together with Indigenous Tikuna of the Colombian Amazon will share their experiences and perspectives.

Together with the audience, they will discuss how plant-based healing knowledge is created, transmitted, transformed, and travels across continents. How does a plant become a medicine—through ritual practices, generations of experiential knowledge, or scientific analysis?

Following the discussion, participants are invited to join a guided tour of the special exhibition Plants as Medicine – Diversity in Switzerland.

PD Dr. Caroline Weckerle
ethnobotanist, Director of the Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich
Roman Steiner
shamanic practitioner, lecturer, and case manager in social psychiatry
Dr. Yahaya Sekagya
traditional healer, dentist, health researcher, and Director of PROMETRA Uganda
Antoine Bertin and Cristina Tarquini
artists

Moderation:
Dr. phil. Jacqueline Grigo
social and cultural anthropologist, Botanical Garden at University of Zurich