Students from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo have started a medicinal garden on campus as an integral part of several sustainable gardens used as hands-on labs. The goal is to explore the medicinal plants of Â鶹´«Ã½ and the Pacific region through the involvement of agriculture students, the university community and several community groups.
Led by Norman Arancon, professor of horticulture and the college¡¯s director, the builds on years of hands-on learning in which students in his sustainable agriculture course have managed campus garden plots using sustainable growing practices.
“Our students [are] learning how to propagate and identify if some of our plants have some medical constituent compositions,” said Arancon. “It¡¯s exciting. The students are not just learning from us. We also get some planting materials from the community and insights on what we can grow that they think will be to them.”
Lavender, thyme and learning
Arancon¡¯s sustainable agriculture class (AG 230) developed three plots in the garden with medicinal plants such as thyme, ginger, tobacco, turmeric and lavender. Students in a weed science course (HORT 481) were challenged to identify plants commonly considered weeds and research their potential medicinal value.
As a culminating project, students transformed common weeds into medicinal products, including a tea made from invasive honohono grass traditionally used to support respiratory health.
Community and collaboration
The medicinal garden is a collaborative effort involving the agriculture college, and .
Pharmacy students examine the plants¡¯ medicinal compounds, while the Hawaiian language college brings in community healers to share traditional knowledge of local and native plants.
“We hope healers from the community can also provide seminars on how to use the plants properly and prepare them for use at home,” Arancon said. “I¡¯d love for more classes to be involved with the project in the future, such as introductory courses on horticulture or animal science, to learn about health benefits for farm animals or pets.”
—by Samantha Dane
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