Chinese delegation visits Leiden Hortus
In the interests of knowledge exchange and research, a delegation from the China Academy of Chinese Medicinal Sciences (CACMS) in Beijing paid a visit to the Hortus botanicus in Leiden. The visit was part of a joint research study on herbal medicine.
Prefect of the Hortus, Paul Kessler, and emeritus Professor Douwe Breimer welcomed the delegation on a very warm Monday 16 July. After a visit to the Leiden Institute of Biology (IBL), a meeting was first held in the garden room of the Hortus, followed by a tea tasting. The electric 'Friends of the Hortus' carrier bike was then the focus of a demonstration of educational activities.
International collaboration
The IBL, the Leiden University European Center for Chinese Medicine and Natural Compounds (LU-ECCM) and the Hortus botanicus carry out joint research on Western and Chinese herbal medicines. This resulted in the partnership with the CACMS, which was looking for international scientific collaborations in this area. The CACMS is one of the leading research institutes in China and focuses on research on Chinese medicine. As well as being a research partner, the CACMS is also co-sponsor of the planned exhibition on ‘Healing with plants’ (2019).