Atlantic Rainforest Medicinal Plants Practices

The Living Pharmacy Program aims to promote research, conservation and sustainable production of medicinal plants native to the Atlantic Rainforest biome. In this context, the volunteer will have different responsibilities, in which will contribute to slowly create a system of Research & Development ( R & D) of native plants in the region, having in mind the socio-economic empowerment of local rural communities, and more fund-raising for Iracambi, and subsequently the higher conservation of the Atlantic Rainforest. 

As a team member you'll be involved in all sorts of activities: 

• Maintenance of the Medicinal Plants Laboratory;
• Maintenance of the Medicinal Plants Trail;
• Creation and maintenance of the Medicinal Plants Garden;
• Production of herbal medicine and herbal cosmetics in the laboratory;
• Botanical research: cataloguing of medicinal plants in the nearby forests and visiting local elders to learn about their experiences with native medicinal plants;
• Help local community in their own Medicinal Plants project;
• Report writing;
• Creation and maintenance of products catalog;
• Planning and management of medicinal plants workshops with the local community;
• Content creation, marketing, setting-up the events;
•  Photography and Video making (with editing).

If this volunteer opportunity calls out to you, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you! 

On weekends you can swim in the rivers, hike in the forest, climb local mountains – no rock climbing involved and you will be rewarded by amazing views. You can interact with the local community and attend local parties and festivals, particularly in June and July during the winter festivals. You can also organize dinners, bonfires, barbecues or social events to be enjoyed with a glass of wine, a beer or a caipirinha!

Could be getting up in the dark to climb a mountain and film the sun rising over the misty valleys.

At the weekends, our staff will be more than happy to help you plan trips to explore the surrounding areas. Weekend excursions might include quad biking around local communities, kayaking on the rivers, trail to a pic and getting a taste of local farm life.

Visiting Serra do Brigadeiro State Park is an excellent option for the weekend activities. You can explore the park trails and waterfalls in the middle of Minas Gerais mountains with a very traditional and cultural local community.  

On three day weekends you could visit Brazil’s famous historic towns Ouro Preto and Mariana, or Caraça Sanctuary - where you can stay in a former monastery and meet the local wildlife - or sun yourself on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state. You could even attempt to climb the 2892 meters (9486 foot) Pico da Bandeira (the third highest Brazil’s  mountain which is in a National Park area).  

We have lots of wild animals living all around, even big ones like the puma. (But we should warn you, they are mostly nocturnal.) We are an official release center for captive species and occasionally the forest police appear with animals and birds to be released after acclimatizing. 

And if you’re up for gentler pastimes, where better to hang out in a hammock and read a book, or find a quiet spot to practice yoga or meditation.