ROSEMARY (Salvia rosmarinus) Origin: Mediterranean region Active ingredients: Essential oils, phenolic acids, and flavonoids Uses: Medicinal, ritual, and culinary Used as a postpartum tonic and menstrual regulator, in infusions, baths, and smudging rituals, it was employed to alleviate melancholy and ward off “evil spirits,” it was associated with witches in medieval Europe due to its use in love potions and rituals […]
MAGIC MUSHROOMS PSILOCYBE CUBENSIS Origin: CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL REGIONS Active ingredients: PSILOCYBIN, PSILOCIN Uses: MEDICINAL, RITUAL, PSYCHOACTIVE Used by Aztec, Maya, Zapotec, and Mazatec women in rituals for physical and spiritual healing, to support women in labor, and to treat menstrual pain. Called Teonanácatl (“flesh of the gods”) by the Aztecs, they were consumed in rituals […]
Cola acuminata Origin: TROPICAL WEST AFRICA Active ingredient: Caffeine Uses: Stimulant, social, and ritualistic. Used as a postpartum tonic and aphrodisiac in West Africa, the kola nut is shared during various social and religious activities. In Brazil, as an obí in Afro-Brazilian religions, it serves as a tool for divination and as food for the orixás. It was associated by colonizers with libido, with […]
Videos made with images generated by artificial intelligence. Each video is inspired by the work of an artist-scientist erased from the history of art and science,
Botanical illustrations created with artificial intelligence, inspired by women who have been erased from the history of art and science.
Portraits of artist-scientists created with artificial intelligence, based on archive images of the young artist-scientist. 50×76 cm, 2024.
Trotula of Salerno, from the 10th century, a pioneer in women's health, wrote On the Diseases of Women. Her work was silenced and attributed to men for centuries.
Maria Sibylla Merian, a pioneering naturalist, revolutionized the study of metamorphosis with works such as Metamorphosis Insectorum. Rediscovered, she is a symbol of resistance
Maria Graham, a writer and naturalist, stood out for her botanical collections in Brazil, criticism of slavery and works that marked the science and art of the 19th century.
Marianne North defied convention with her vibrant aesthetic. She created a gallery at Kew Gardens and has the Nepenthes northiana in her honor.
Constança Paca, a botanical illustrator and companion of Barbosa Rodrigues, inspired the Constantia orchid genus and contributed to pioneering scientific works.
Maria Bandeira, a pioneer in the Botanical Garden and a specialist in bryophytes, had her career marked by discoveries and mysteries, and ended her life in seclusion.
The Mayans used the white lotus for ulcers and considered it sacred. In the Amazon, the lapuna has greater symbolic value.
Traditional pre-Columbian cultures used Trumpet in shamanic rituals, linked to healing practices and spiritual experiences of expanding consciousness.
The use of tobacco in indigenous practices integrates spirituality, medicine and culture, with women guardians of ancestral knowledge.
Orchids aroused intense passion during the European "orchidomania" of the 19th century. But they also inspired horror stories associated with evil women.
Basil has medicinal properties. A symbol of fertility and prosperity, it was associated with witchcraft in medieval Europe,
Manioc is fundamental to the subsistence and identity of many indigenous peoples. Women play a central role in its preparation...
Mayan women used morning glory seeds in healing rituals and to induce childbirth, and the Aztecs considered them divine
The arrival of Jesuit priests in South America in the 16th century brought mistrust of yerba mate, a sacred plant for the indigenous Guarani, associated with spiritual connection.
The fascination with carnivorous plants began in the 18th century and from the beginning linked them to female sexuality and stereotypes.
Artemisia absinthium has a long history of use in women's health, relieving menstrual cramps and reproductive problems.