Lena's passion for biodiversity and its interplay with culture naturally led her to join this interdisciplinary group. For her master’s thesis, Lena is studying the chemotaxonomy of ‘curares’, which are plant-based arrow poisons used by Amazonian Indigenous groups. The composition of curare recipes varies among Indigenous groups, and knowledge about curare can quickly vanish with the loss of languages and plant species. In this project, she aims to document the chemical composition of plant species involved, highlighting not only their contribution to the chemical diversity of their ecosystems but also the invaluable cultural knowledge embedded in their use.
