Dr. Ruyu Yao attended the 25th Congress of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology upon the invitation of CAS PIFI Visiting Scientist Dr. Marco Leonti.
The International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE) held its 25th congress in Foligno, a historic city in central Italy, from September 14 to 17, 2026. This year, the theme of the ISE congress was “Ethnopharmacology and Transcultural Medicine”, highlighting the growing recognition of traditional medical knowledge as a valuable resource for global health. Over 150 delegates from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America attended the congress to share insights across the field of ethnopharmacology.
Dr. Marco Leonti, who had just completed his visit to the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) in August as a PIFI Visiting Scientist, was one of the two co‑chairs of the congress organizing committee. Drawing on his understanding of his CAS host Dr. Ruyu Yao, Marco invited Dr. Yao to participate in the congress and present his ethnobotanical research.
At the congress, Dr. Yao delivered an invited lecture and presented a poster showcasing recent research outcomes from his research group at KIB. Co‑authored with Ms. Guomao Wu, his invited lecture was titled Ethnobotany of a Well‑Known Medicinal Plant: Traditional Food and Medicinal Uses of Panax notoginseng in Southwestern China. It reported ethnobotanical findings on Panax notoginseng, a medicinal herb widely cultivated in Yunnan. Although notoginseng is well‑known, this study documented little‑known local traditional knowledge, offering important supplementary information for the conservation and utilisation of notoginseng and its associated traditional heritage.
His poster, co‑authored with Ms. Shuyu Hou, was titled Mining China’s Miao Ethnic Medicinal Plants: Taxonomic Diversity, Conservation Needs, and Prediction of Potential Species Hotspots. It introduced a new framework for cross‑cultural exchange of traditional medicinal knowledge of ethnic minorities.
These two compelling presentations sparked lively discussions among global participants and gave international scholars deep insights into ethnobotanical research in China. His participation in the congress offered an opportunity to introduce KIB and the Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Health Plant Resources Development to global colleagues.
During the meeting, Dr. Yao also held discussions with other ethnobotanists. Prof. Michael Heinrich, PIFI Distinguished Scientist of 2025, stated that cooperation with KIB would be long‑term. Dr. Caroline Weckerle, Head of the Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich, proposed collaboration with the botanical gardens of KIB and the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG). Delegates from India and Thailand extended a warm welcome for future congresses over the next two years.
“Bridging regional herbal knowledge to advance global health.” The 25th ISE congress connected traditional‑medicine research from diverse biocultural backgrounds, bridging ancient healing systems and modern biomedical research. It was expected to advance the construction of a global community of health for all from the perspective of traditional medicines.
Dr. Marco Leonti (2nd from the right) was awarded the PIFI Visiting Scientist Prize at KIB in July 2026
Dr. Ruyu Yao and Dr. Marco Leonti at the 25th ISE Congress
Introduce the institute and HPRD Lab.
Present the poster
With PIFI Distinguished Scientist Prof. Michael Heinrich
In discussion with Dr. Caroline Weckerle
With colleagues from Mahidol University, Thailand
Group dinner with international collaborators