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PHOTO CREDIT: Taken by Western Illinois University Department of Anthropology Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad. This photo was taken in northern Germany outside of Wienhausen in a forest preserve in 2022.
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WIU Anthropology Professor Featured on The Conversation

June 13, 2023

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MACOMB, IL - - "Each time one of the medicine men dies, it's as if a library has burned down," said Ethnobotanist Scholar Mark Plotkin.

Western Illinois University Department of Anthropology Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad recently published an article with The Conversation; a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for public good. The article, "From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma - a college course explores nature's medicine cabinet and different ways of healing,'' discusses the conversation taught through her WIU course "From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma."

"The current generation of young people are open about mental health issues, and many people are looking for new ways to deal with anxiety, grief, PTSD and depression," said Mcllvaine-Newsad. "Students discuss their health concerns and learn about alternatives to what they may be accustomed to."

The course is part of the Cannabis and Culture minor at WIU. It explores how people and cultures across the world use nature-based medicines to heal themselves from the diseases that surround us. The course covers everything from traditional healing methods to western approaches that are rooted in nature.

Mcllvaine-Newsad is fascinated at the many ways society can heal and stay healthy.

"Over the course of the semester, students begin to recognize that there is no one right way of healing, " said Mcllvaine-Newsad. "More importantly, there is no one right way of being human. It is my hope that students leave seeing that everything is connected, integrally linked to humanity's relationship to nature."

To read the full article, visit bit.ly/3JczVdo. For more information on the WIU Department of Sociology and Anthropology, visit wiu.edu/cas/sociology_and_anthropology.

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