"The greatest and most endangered species in the Amazon rainforest is not the jaguar or the harpy eagle," says Mark Plotkin, "It's the isolated and uncontacted tribes." In an energetic and sobering talk, the ethnobotanist brings us into the world of the forest's indigenous tribes and the incredible medicinal plants that their shamans use to heal. He outlines the challenges and perils that are endangering them — and their wisdom — and urges us to protect this irreplaceable repository of knowledge.

Mark Plotkin: What the people of the Amazon know that you don't

What the people of the Amazon know that you don't

A shaman's simple rainforest remedy healed a foot injury that modern medicine couldn't, showcasing indigenous knowledge's power.

Isolated Amazon tribes, facing threats from illegal activities and missionary flights, hold untapped medicinal wisdom we risk losing.

Amazon's uncontacted tribes: guardians of invaluable medicinal wisdom, yet vulnerable to fast-encroaching external threats.