The Plant Hunter

Praise

“Cassandra Quave takes us on a fascinating and deeply personal journey to seek out modern medicines from the botanical world. As a scientist she is scrappy and tenacious, and as a writer she is eloquent and disarmingly honest. Fans of Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl will devour this engrossing narrative about Quave’s quest for the next cure.”
­—Amy Stewart, bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist

“Quave’s fascinating story is full of insights with equal respect for traditional healing and ‘scientific’ medicine.”
—Jonathan Drori, author of Around the World in 80 Plants

“This most remarkable book is overflowing with inspiration, delight and adventure, as Cassandra Quave brilliantly describes her search to understand nature’s healing power. Above all, Quave offers an intensely honest and personal story of a life filled with purpose, joy and challenges, which will no doubt influence a generation of young people seeking to serve the greater good, while reminding us all that we are inextricably connected to the Earth.”
—Michael J. Balick, Co-Author of Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany

“Readers who pick up The Plant Hunter with the idea of a traditional, staid monograph detailing flora around the world will encounter a biography of love, loss and discovery that is most emphatically not traditional or staid. . . .Quave’s storytelling is quite simply refreshing.”
—Nature Plants

“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

“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

“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] 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)
 
“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 . . . highly compelling.”
—Kirkus

“Cassandra Quave is a woman with incredible grit and courage.”
—Temple Grandin, bestselling author of Thinking in Pictures

“In The Plant Hunter, Cassandra Quave traces her fast-paced and barrier-breaking path to become a scientist, and takes us on a romp through jungles, swamps, deserts, and mountains in search of the holiest of botanical grails: tomorrow’s life-saving medicines. We need more scientists like Quave—resourceful, good-humored, and ready to solve Earth’s most pressing problems.”
—Daniel Stone, National Geographic writer and bestselling author of The Food Explorer

“Be forewarned: there’s no putting this book down once you turn the first page! It’s an absolutely fascinating and remarkable account of one heroic woman’s personal journey into the healing power of plants, full of world travels, medical knowledge, plant wisdom, and scientific insights. Exceptionally well written, thought provoking and inspiring, this is adventure at its finest.”
—Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist and author of Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs

“An enthralling account of an inspiring tragedy-to-triumph story about becoming a leading scientist in search of plants that heal. Highly recommended!”
—Mark J. Plotkin, President of the Amazon Conservation Team and author of Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice

“The Plant Hunter moved and amazed me. Cassandra Quave is flat-out heroic. We see her pursue her passion under grueling conditions that would make most of us blanch, even if we did not sport a prosthetic leg, as Quave does. Lance a boil on your own inflamed limb in the jungle as a college student on your first international research trip? Tote your first baby along as you conduct fieldwork essential for your doctoral research? And perhaps most challenging—juggle the demands of running two labs, securing grants, teaching and mentoring, and being a mother to three children? Quave does it all, and she shares her inspiring story with humor and grace.”
—Victoria Johnson, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of American Eden

“Like an intricate game, The Plant Hunter is a book that contains many books within it: a magical memoir and a journey of dogged discovery,  a profound romance and a stirring call to action. Above all, it is an urgent plea to recover knowledge that has almost been lost to us, and to honor the untold generations whose ancient wisdom might save our lives.”
—Maryn McKenna, Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Human Health and author of Big Chicken