The Hope for Longevity: Women’s Health, Plant Knowledge, and Climate Resilience
This panel explores how plant knowledge, women’s health, and climate resilience intersect at a moment of deep ecological and public health change.
Hosted by the Beneficial Plant Research Association, the conversation will examine how traditional ecological knowledge, ethnobotany, and biodiversity conservation can inform health and well-being.
This discussion comes at a time when there has never been more noise in the market, yet a lack of clarity and clinical data continues to create confusion and a limited understanding of which natural products and botanical solutions are truly effective.
Panelists will discuss the role of women as knowledge holders, caregivers, and leaders in their communities, and consider how protecting plant diversity may also strengthen the conditions for long-term health, cultural continuity, and resilience.
On the panel
Lisa Offringa, PhD — Ethnobotanist and BPRA Scientific Board Member. Lisa is a medical and nutritional ethnobotanist specializing in medicinal plants and plant-based foods, with experience spanning academia, nonprofits, and plant-based health innovation.
Steven King, PhD — Ethnobotanist and BPRA Scientific Board Member. Steven is an ethnobotanist whose work has focused on sustainable supply, ethnobotanical research, intellectual property, and long-term conservation-oriented plant management.
Laura Ash — Clinical Herbalist and BPRA Director of Operations + Strategy. Laura is a clinical herbalist, feminist, and social entrepreneur whose work bridges traditional healing arts, biodiversity protection, and culturally grounded approaches to health.
MC: Maritza Schäfer — BPRA Board Member. Maritza is an organizational strategist known for leading strategic planning and transformation work for mission-driven organizations including Greenpeace International, The Wilderness Society, and Tides Foundation.
The Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA) and its Plants for Women’s Health Initiative are working to address major gaps in clinical data on botanicals commonly used by women. BPRA describes the initiative as a multi-phase, five-year effort to advance whole-plant research and translate findings into open-access, evidence-based resources for women, clinicians, educators, and policymakers.