The Plant Hunter

Dr. Quave’s award-winning book weaves together science, botany, and memoir to tell us the extraordinary story of her own journey.

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Leading medical ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave tells us the story of her quest to develop new ways to fight illness and disease through the healing powers of plants in this uplifting and adventure-filled memoir The Plant Hunter.

Quave takes us on a fascinating and deeply personal journey to seek out modern medicines from the botanical world.

Amy Stewart

Bestselling Author of the Drunken Botanist

Ever had an infection? The last new antibiotic was discovered in 1984.

Antibiotic-resistant microbes plague us all. In today’s world of synthetic pharmaceuticals, scientists and laypeople alike have lost their connection to the natural world. But by ignoring the potential of medicinal plants, we are losing out on the opportunity to discover new life-saving medicines needed in the fight against the greatest medical challenge of this century: the rise of the post-antibiotic era.

700,000
people die

each year due to untreatable infections.

10 million
annual deaths

are expected by 2050 unless we act now.

Only 9% of all plant species

Have been used as medicines. Most have never been studied.

No one understands this better than Cassandra Quave

Whose groundbreaking research as a leading medical ethnobotanist—someone who identifies and studies plants that may be able to treat antimicrobial resistance and other threatening illnesses–is helping to provide clues for the next generation of advanced medicines.

Traveling by canoe, ATV, mule, airboat, and on foot, she has conducted field research in the flooded forests of the remote Amazon, the murky swamps of southern Florida, the rolling hills of central Italy, isolated mountaintops in Albania and Kosovo, and volcanic isles arising out of the Mediterranean—all in search of natural compounds, long-known to traditional healers, that could help save us all from the looming crisis of untreatable superbugs.

… and as a person born with multiple congenital defects of skeletal system, she’s done it all with just one leg.

Filled with grit, tragedy, triumph, awe, and scientific discovery, her story illuminates how the path forward for medical discovery may be found in nature’s oldest remedies.

“[A] fascinating account of [Quave’s] development as a scientist, her research into the pharmacological potential of plants used in traditional medicine, the challenge of balancing work with motherhood, and her lifelong struggle with disability and infection…. A highly compelling—and alarming—memoir.”

Kirkus (starred)
“[A] spirited, globe-trotting debut . . . Nature-minded readers will find themselves immersed in—and inspired by—Quave’s poignant tale.”

Publishers Weekly
“Quave’s inviting memoir demonstrates grit and determination and explains some of the fascinating and critical uses of plants for healing (including possible uses against antimicrobial resistance and even COVID-19).”

Library Journal (starred)
“In the war against infectious diseases, Quave is a fierce combatant, exhibiting focused determination, admirable flexibility, and persuasive enthusiasm in this candidly personal narrative.”

Booklist
“[A] fascinating account of [Quave’s] development as a scientist, her research into the pharmacological potential of plants used in traditional medicine, the challenge of balancing work with motherhood, and her lifelong struggle with disability and infection…. A highly compelling—and alarming—memoir.”

Kirkus
“Quave remains determined, resourceful, and cognizant of the alliances that have enabled her life’s work. . . . [She] exhibits a deep humanity and humility in her writing. This, along with her thrilling adventures—often with children in tow—spurs the reader on. In the end, she succeeds in demonstrating that plants are an underutilized resource for drug discovery and in communicating the many joys and challenges that accompany a career in science.”

Science Magazine
“It is an account of a quest so rich in detail that even a casual reader will reach the last page with a fuller understanding of the scientific method and the state of medical research today, as well as enlightenment over this country’s challenges in developing and marketing new pharmaceuticals.”

The Bulletin (The Garden Club of America)
“This book is fascinating for anyone who is curious about the potential impact that plants, waiting in the wings for scientific discovery, can have on our health. . . . [It] is a wonderfully engaging memoir of how Quave first ventured into science and ultimately the field of ethnobiology . . . [that] is inspiring and easy to grasp even for those who have no grasp of—or curiosity about—science.”

The Marin Independent Journal

The Plant Hunter

Leading medical ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave tells us the story of her quest to develop new ways to fight illness and disease through the healing powers of plants in this uplifting and adventure-filled memoir The Plant Hunter.