SILAE special issue: Italo-latin american ethnoknowledge and research on medicinal plants

Abstract

The Italo-Latin American Society of Ethnomedicine (SILAE, www.silae.it) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association. The fundamental objective of SILAE is to promote research and development into the use of medicinal and food plants in different countries of the World. SILAE welcomes and actively seeks opportunities to work cooperatively, activating and intensifying scientific relations between countries and between SILAE members. Since SILAE was founded (1990) its objective has been set to contribute to the close examination of the themes of great interest and actuality in the context of the relationships between Latin America and the European Union. In addition to this, SILAE aimed to individualize new ways of collaboration between its member countries and other European as well as Asiatic countries to sign accords with intergovernmental organizations. SILAE proposes to establish contacts with Scientific Communities, Universities, and Research Centres for the pursuit of medicinal and food plants knowledge. Moreover SILAE_live, the one-to-one live Chat and Messenger on our website (www.silae.it), is the first scientific chat on the web and is a developed tool to engage the interest and imagination of the public and for helping nonscientists to understand and enjoy scientific discoveries and the scientific processes. In addition to organizing membership activities, SILAE publishes the SILAE Special Issues, as well as many scientifi c newsletters, books and reports, and spearheads programs that raise the bar of understanding for science worldwide. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia-Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy is publishing a special issue that contains a selection of papers that were presented at the