Al-Maissam*
The Medicinal Plant Center for Research & Education

Realizing the need to preserve and revitalize the Palestinian Arab rich heritage of expertise in indigenous folk medicine, the Galilee Society Regional R&D Center established in 1998 the first botanical garden and plant resource center for traditional medicinal plants in the Middle East.

In accordance with the Galilee Society's declared goals and principles, Al-Maissam - the Medicinal Plants Center for Research & Education, a community-oriented center, aims to provide local communities with knowledge of native and endemic plants, their preservation and utilization.

Al-Maissam combines educational activities, scientific research and ecotourism. The facility contains a laboratory, administration offices, a lecture hall, a Botanical Garden, classes, algae & fish ponds, an aviary for local domestic and wild birds, and an apiary for beehives.

Through the continued collaboration between the study program at Al-Maissam and the research of medicinal plants at the Galilee Society's Regional R&D Center, new study topics are constantly discovered  while supplying the R&D Center with plant materials and extracts. The research of the R&D Center opens new avenues for economic exploitation of the active ingredients of the plants such as antioxidants and derivatives that can go into many industries benefiting people and animals in a variety of ways.

Over 10,000 elementary and high school students, both Jewish and Arab, visit the center each year; accompanied by their teachers and guides from the center. Some perform specialized projects that compliment their standard education at school, others take specialized courses that prepare them for graduation from high school, including and not limited to Final Projects that earn them credits towards their Bagrut program (Ministry of Education high school graduation certificate). In addition, the teachers receive preliminary training to prepare for field trips and regular training and activities at the center.