Collecting and studying the recipes used by women during the Renaissance for self-care and health care is the main objective of the RECIPE project, led by María Muñoz Benavent, Professor of the History of Science at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). As part of this project, an international conference is being organized that will offer a unique perspective: the role of women in the history of science and health.

The meeting will take place in the Francisco Javier Balmis building on the Sant Joan d’Alacant campus of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) from October 29 to 31. It will bring together researchers specializing in ethnobotany, archival studies, philology, gender studies, the history of medicine, chemistry, pharmacy, and biology from 14 universities in Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Spain.

The presentations cover diverse topics related to health from a historical perspective: menstruation, childbirth, opiates, women’s perceptions of the body and illness, recipes and herbal remedies, medicinal drinks, toxicology, hygiene, exercise, cosmetics, and hydrotherapy, among others.

This congress is part of the research project “Recipes for Women’s Diseases in Europe. 16th-18th Centuries” (CIGE/2024/12), funded by the Valencian Regional Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities, and Employment.

Access is free and no registration is required. More information: https://recipeumh.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/congreso-internacional-del-o-recipe-el-cuidado-de-las-mujeres-en-la-historia/