Biocolonialism

09/09/2020

Listen "Biocolonialism"

Episode Synopsis

In the nineteenth century, the Guajajara tribe of Brazil discovered the medicinal qualities of a native plant called Pilocarpus jaborandi. For decades, the Guajajara refined the medicinal uses of the plant, specifically for the treatment of glaucoma. Knowledge of the plant’s medicinal qualities was acquired by pharmaceutical researchers, and both American and German pharmaceutical companies [...]