A day to discover the Brera Botanical Garden, its Herbarium and the educational tables dedicated to medicinal and poisonous plants, as well as to see them live in its flowerbeds.
“Good and Bad – Knowing and Recognizing Medicinal and Poisonous Plants” is the title of the initiative that last September 21st involved over 30 naturalistic and cultural operators of the Italian Alpine Club, who as part of their annual refresher program were guests of the Brera Botanical Garden, which is about to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The Botanical Garden, in fact, was established in 1775 and was annexed to the University of Milan in 1935, with the function of a place of study and training in Pharmacy and Medicine, thanks to the numerous medicinal species grown within its walls and today it has become the Functional Center Museum of the Brera Botanical Garden and Herbarium-Herbarium Universitatis Mediolanensis, abbreviated to the acronym MOBE.
The day of refresher courses began in the Vitman Room, with greetings from the director of the Botanical Garden, Dr. Antonella Testa, who outlined the history and presented the cultural and conservation activities of the MOBE. Hanging on the walls of the room, it was possible to admire some of the educational tables dedicated to medicinal and poisonous plants that are part of the collections kept by the MOBE. Professor Elisabetta Caporali, professor of botany and systematic and plant biology, illustrated the function and importance of these educational tables and of the other collections, in addition to those of the Herbarium. Professor Mario Dell’Agli, professor of Pharmacognosy, Phytotherapy and poisonous plants and allergens, spoke about the countless biological properties of medicinal plants, also describing the negative aspects of poisonous plants, giving several examples and stimulating the curiosity of the audience.
In the afternoon, in fact, the “practical” part of the day led by Prof. Dell’Agli, which included a visit to the Botanical Garden and the recognition of some drugs obtained from the plants described in the morning, was a great success with the careful interaction of all the participants who, with their enriched cultural background, will bring new information on medicinal plants to the various dissemination activities that the Italian Alpine Club organizes throughout Italy for its members.
