Proposed by: a member of Perennial Garden Club, Zone VI

Paul Alan Cox, PhD, one of the world’s pre-eminent ethnobotanists, has studied how native cultures use indigenous plants to treat diseases. Leaving a distinguished academic career, he spent three years in Samoa where he discovered a drug for HIV/AIDS from the bark of a Samoan tree. Paul established Seacology, an environmental organization that has preserved 98,000 acres of rainforest and 1.7 million acres of coral reefs on islands throughout the world. Paul then turned his focus to neurodegenerative diseases, comparing patterns of disease and wellness in island villages to discover causes and treatments. In Guam, Paul and his colleagues made discoveries that led to advanced clinical trials for a possible treatment for ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Paul is founder and executive director of Brain Chemistry Labs, a not-for-profit organization in Jackson Hole with a consortium of 50 scientists working to further this research. His compassion for humanity, his scientific research and his groundbreaking achievements are changing the world.