Career and Research
Ethnobotany is the study of plants by obtaining information from people around the world. [3] Professor Lewis specialized in discovering new drugs extracted from plants used in folk medicine by native tribes in South America and other tropical parts of the world, with his wife who is a microbiologist. [2] They have traveled the world to find plants that cure many different diseases. Their greatest struggles in their research was to place these alternative medicines on the market and maintain a balance between pharmaceutical companies and the native tribes in the jungle. [4]
The Lewis's research team, their main focus is to catalogue a large variety of plants from the tribes which have potential to cure many diseases around the world. Since 75% of all modern drugs come directly or indirectly form plants used in folk medicine. The research over the years has collected thousands of plants and found dozens of traditional medicines. As wound healing tree sap that helps cuts and scrapes heal 30 percent faster. Other plants have the ability to treat malaria, hepatitis, diarrhea and more. [1]
His work consist of these most notable published books:
The Lewis's research team, their main focus is to catalogue a large variety of plants from the tribes which have potential to cure many diseases around the world. Since 75% of all modern drugs come directly or indirectly form plants used in folk medicine. The research over the years has collected thousands of plants and found dozens of traditional medicines. As wound healing tree sap that helps cuts and scrapes heal 30 percent faster. Other plants have the ability to treat malaria, hepatitis, diarrhea and more. [1]
His work consist of these most notable published books:
- Lewis, W.H. (2000) Ethnopharmacology and the search for new therapeutics. In Biodiversity and Native America, ed. by P.E. Minnis and W.J. Elisens. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, p. 75-96.
- Lewis, W.H., Lamas, G., Vaisberg, A., Corley, D.G., Sarasara, C. (2000) Peruvian medicinal plant sources of new pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical Biol. 37S: 1-14.
- Lewis, W.H. (2001) Pharmaceutical discoveries based on ethnomedicinal plants: 1985 to 2000 and beyond. Economic Botany. 55, in press.
- http://www.ebay.ca/sch/sis.html_nkw=Medical%20Botany%20Plants%20Affecting%20Human%20Health%20Walter%20Hepworth%20Lewis%20and&_itemId=161289418450
“I’m fortunate that my work is my play.” - Dr. Walter H. Leis