AMAZON MEDICINES and REMEDIES....

Still Day 256...

AMAZON JUNGLE...

After lunch we had a rest..but there's not much rest for the wicked!

At 3.30pm We donned our wellies once again headed out to the Medicine Lodge up Rio Tambupata River in the long boat which took about 40 minutes paddling and another 20 minutes walking on a bumpy muddy trail in the jungle through trees that had roots spiralling around them..and wet leaves flapping in our faces.

When we reached the Medicine Lodge we met up with interpreters who explained plants that had medicinal properties. A few of the ones i remember are the Cordoncillo (piper elonggatun).....which we were all given a sample of. It looked like a little piece of green twig..and we were all told to chew at once!!! And within seconds the bitter taste numbed our tongues!!

I suddently wondered whether it had antibiotic qualities that i'm known to be allergic to..it had such a dramatic affect!

But! It turned out..It was an anaesthetic plant!!! Gosh!!! It really did anaethatise our mouths..and throats..it felt like it'd be permanent..!

The next one, Para Para (abuta grandifolia) had the guide giving us a spanish example of how the long thin green plant bent over..then bounced back, upight!!!!

It was a viaga plant!

Next we moved on to the Picramnia Lineata plant and were given about five leaves to crush.....and soon...our hands turned bright burgundy!!!!! It was like a cochineal...a colouring!!! We had it all over our hands! It was amazing!!

Other plants included the Unadegato (uncaria tomentosa) which is a cat's claw, and the Lanacana morado (lostus.sp) which is like a purple dye and helps diarrohea and fever.

Ajao. Sacha (pseudocalymma allageua) is a garlic tasting leaf used for epilepsy..and as a mossie repellent!

And...Chuchuhuasi (heisteria pallida) is used for colds...rhumetism, arthritis and tropical leprosy..

It's interesting that they mix the drink, pisco, with a lot of these plants to make the medicines. The guides did supply the mixes as well...and i dilligently wrote these down..but i will add this later!

There was one that took my interest..and that was the Ayahuasc (banisteriopsis laapi)which is a master plant and good for parkinsons apparently...

This particular plant, along with Cha Cruna (psicotria veridis) are plants which the spiritual healer, called a Shaman, use as a spiritual healer for people who go to him. There is a detox program that accompanies the medicinal plants and is great for a person's wellbeing. A lot of the local people in the jungle use this.

After trying out the various plants..and being amazed by the instant effect they had..we met the Shaman. Centro Nape was found in 1986 by the Federation of Nature by the people of Madre De Dios because of subsistence and remoteness of their lifestyle which made occidental medicine too expensive to import. The Nape indigenous people came t be treated by these natural medicines that are prepared by the Shaman...

We tried some of the medicines...at least i did...trust me (like the termite tasting) i thought...while in Rome....

And ohhhhh

The Ayahuasc knocked my socks off. I did feel like i was hallucinating..and wondered whether the malaria tablets and this...mix very well...

But..i did make it onto boat..after falling over twice..Strong stuff!!!!!!

And then i had a pisco sour.....to top it off!

And we chatted all night with our new friends, listening to the chorus of the jungle....

BLISS.

The howling monkeys...howled again last night..and the bats came to visit!!!

Tomorrow...5am wake up...to go back to the mudlick to see if we can see the toucans..