Maria Pineda

A Peruvian botanist who discovered medicinal properties in Amazon rainforest plants, her research formed the basis for modern pharmaceuticals still used today.

Maria Pineda (1905-1978) was a pioneering Amazonian botanist whose work laid the foundation for modern pharmacology. Born in Iquitos to a family of rubber tappers, she became the first woman to earn a biology degree from the National University of San Marcos (1928). Her groundbreaking 1930s expeditions into the Peruvian Amazon identified over 300 plant species with medicinal properties, including the Chuchuhuasi tree whose bark contains compounds later used in anti-inflammatory drugs.

In 1942, she discovered the Quinua vine (now Quinua pinedaensis), whose extracts became the basis for the 1960s development of the antimalarial drug Quinupride. Her 1955 book Rainforest Remedies introduced Western science to Ayahuasca's neuroprotective properties, influencing modern psychedelic research. Despite her discoveries, Pineda remained unrecognized in her lifetime due to gender and regional biases.

Her field notes, preserved in the Amazon Botanical Archive, were rediscovered in 2005, revealing her identification of the Genipa americana plant's anti-cancer properties. Modern pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer have acknowledged her contributions in their 2020 annual reports. The Maria Pineda Institute of Tropical Medicine in Lima now trains researchers using her methodology. Her legacy is celebrated annually during the Amazon Science Week, where her 1937 expedition diary is displayed alongside modern drug formulations.