Ormosia amazonica / Huayruro / Leguminosae (Pea family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Huairuro, Huayruro,

Description

To add color to their beadwork, Indians use various species of Ormosia which they call Huayruro. Its natural bright red and black coloring, and hard long lasting character make it a classic among good luck seeds. It is sometimes even mounted in gold settings such as tribal ornaments and Jewelry. About the size of a chickpea, when drilled and threaded into beadwork, Huayruro adds highlights to the piece. For solid reds, craftsmen select Ormosia macrocalyx while O. Amazonica, called "Huayruro Macho", yields a striking bead half red and half black. The seeds grow in a pod on tall trees in the rainforest. Usually collected from the jungle floor having fallen from the high branches. Even though it is very poisonous if chewed, it is the all time favourite good luck seed. It is allways carried by locals somewhere on their bodies, and put on children and babies in the form of a little bracelet. It is reputed to ward off any kind of bad luck, to protect one from jinxes, and keep away the evil eye. Often Huayruro seeds are found in glass jars adding a bit of color to the modest homes in the jungle. The seeds are a symbol of good luck and abundance in the Inca culture.

Historical

The name "Huayruro" derives from the seed of the Huayruro plant ( Ormosia sp .) that grows in the Amazon rainforest. This seed is characterized by being part red and part black, visually suggesting complementary and duality. Perhaps due to this unusual natural characteristic there has been the belief among Peruvians that these seeds have the dual power to attract good fortune and ward off evil spirits. As such, it is widely used in a variety of accessories for body adornment.

Health Warnings

Toxic! Please keep out of mouth.
However safe to wear on skin.

Plant Description

Amazonian tree grows until at least 40m tall.

Inca Statue Bronze

Inca Statue Bronze

Styrax weberbaueri / Incienso / Styraceae (Storax family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Styrax weberbaueri / Incienso / Styraceae (Storax family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Styrax weberbaueri / Incienso / Styraceae (Storax family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Styrax weberbaueri / Incienso / Styraceae (Storax family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Justicia pectoralis / Justicia / Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Chapantye, Tilo, Masha-Hari, Piri Piri.

Description

Justicia pectoralis is an erect herb growing up to 60 cm tall and producing white or pink flowers. It is used in herbal medicine in South America. Justicia pectoralis is also a common admixture in Virola snuffs, an entheogen used by indigenous tribes. Justicia is not psychoactive by itself but appears to aid and enhance the effects of the snuff on the user. It has a pleasant Vanilla-like fragrance. (1)(4)

Scent

The fresh plant has a balsamic odor; the dried plant smells faintly of coumarin (a Vanilla substitute).

Contents

Coumarin and umbelliferone have been identified in Justicia pectoralis. (2)

Synergic Combinations

Shamans add ground dried leaves of Justicia pectoralis to Virola bark resin with ash made from the tree Elizabetha princeps to prepare a snuff. "Justicia pectoralis has an aromatic aspect, but when added to Virola may facilitate the extraction of several tryptamine alkaloids and promote their absorption in human through mucous membranes." (1)

Historical

Virola snuffs are widely used by groups in wet tropical forests of South America. These tribes include the Waika of the upper Orinoco area in Venezuela and northern Brazil and the Paumarí from near the Rio Purus in Amazonian Brazil. The main ingredient of the snuff is an extract from Virola bark and Justicia pectoralis and other plants are often added to enhance the flavour and effects of the snuff. (1) Justicia pectoralis is "largely used in north-eastern Brazil for respiratory tract diseases"(3).

Plant Description

Justicia pectoralis Jacq., Acanthaceae, also named Tila or Tilo is a herb, 20 to 60 cm tall, with slender, grooved stems; erect, climbing or trailing and rooting at the nodes. Leaves opposite, narrow to broad-lanceolate, 3-11 cm long, 3-25 mm wide. Inflorescences 1-sided terminal panicles 2-12 cm long. Corollas tubular, 2-lipped, 8-10 mm long, white, lilac or pink, the throat sometimes dotted with dark purple, the outer surface downy. Cultivated in gardens as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Its native range extends from Mexico to Venezuela and throughout the West Indies. (5)

References

(1) An Hallucinogenic Snuff from the Amazon, Anne Swoboda. Biology 10, Winter 1998
(2) Justicia pectoralis: a study of the basis for its use as a hallucinogenic snuff ingredient, MacRae WD, Towers GH
(3) Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator activities of Brazilian medicinal plants containing coumarin: a comparative study, L. K. A. M. Lealb, A. A. G. Ferreiraa, G. A. Bezerraa, F. J. A. Matosc and G. S. B. Viana
(4) Justicia pectoralis, The Vaults of Erowid
(5) TRI-OLOGY, Vol. 35, No. 2, Nancy C. Coile, Ph. D., Bureau of Entomology, Nematology & Plant Pathology, Florida Department of and Consumer Services.

Justicia pectoralis / Justicia / Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Chapantye, Tilo, Masha-Hari, Piri Piri.

Description

Justicia pectoralis is an erect herb growing up to 60 cm tall and producing white or pink flowers. It is used in herbal medicine in South America. Justicia pectoralis is also a common admixture in Virola snuffs, an entheogen used by indigenous tribes. Justicia is not psychoactive by itself but appears to aid and enhance the effects of the snuff on the user. It has a pleasant Vanilla-like fragrance. (1)(4)

Scent

The fresh plant has a balsamic odor; the dried plant smells faintly of coumarin (a Vanilla substitute).

Contents

Coumarin and umbelliferone have been identified in Justicia pectoralis. (2)

Synergic Combinations

Shamans add ground dried leaves of Justicia pectoralis to Virola bark resin with ash made from the tree Elizabetha princeps to prepare a snuff. "Justicia pectoralis has an aromatic aspect, but when added to Virola may facilitate the extraction of several tryptamine alkaloids and promote their absorption in human through mucous membranes." (1)

Historical

Virola snuffs are widely used by groups in wet tropical forests of South America. These tribes include the Waika of the upper Orinoco area in Venezuela and northern Brazil and the Paumarí from near the Rio Purus in Amazonian Brazil. The main ingredient of the snuff is an extract from Virola bark and Justicia pectoralis and other plants are often added to enhance the flavour and effects of the snuff. (1) Justicia pectoralis is "largely used in north-eastern Brazil for respiratory tract diseases"(3).

Plant Description

Justicia pectoralis Jacq., Acanthaceae, also named Tila or Tilo is a herb, 20 to 60 cm tall, with slender, grooved stems; erect, climbing or trailing and rooting at the nodes. Leaves opposite, narrow to broad-lanceolate, 3-11 cm long, 3-25 mm wide. Inflorescences 1-sided terminal panicles 2-12 cm long. Corollas tubular, 2-lipped, 8-10 mm long, white, lilac or pink, the throat sometimes dotted with dark purple, the outer surface downy. Cultivated in gardens as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Its native range extends from Mexico to Venezuela and throughout the West Indies. (5)

References

(1) An Hallucinogenic Snuff from the Amazon, Anne Swoboda. Biology 10, Winter 1998
(2) Justicia pectoralis: a study of the basis for its use as a hallucinogenic snuff ingredient, MacRae WD, Towers GH
(3) Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator activities of Brazilian medicinal plants containing coumarin: a comparative study, L. K. A. M. Lealb, A. A. G. Ferreiraa, G. A. Bezerraa, F. J. A. Matosc and G. S. B. Viana
(4) Justicia pectoralis, The Vaults of Erowid
(5) TRI-OLOGY, Vol. 35, No. 2, Nancy C. Coile, Ph. D., Bureau of Entomology, Nematology & Plant Pathology, Florida Department of and Consumer Services.

Kambo Sticks

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of application as described in the product description. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of this item to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although it may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Sapo (toad), Vacina do Sapo (toad vaccine), Leite do Sapo (toad milk), Kambô, or Kampú, Secretions of the Phyllomedusa bicolor treefrog.

Description

A Kambo Stick is a small wooden stick, with on its surface the dried secretions of a bright green tree frog called the Phyllomedusa bicolor. "Kambo", "Kampo" or "Sapo" is a traditional medicine used by Amazonian tribes indigenous to the western Amazon region. The Matses tribe traditionally uses this medicine to obtain strenght, aim and dexterity for the hunting. The utilization of this frog venom is shared by numerous other Amazonian tribes, including the Matis, Kanamari, Kaxinawa, Katukina, Kulina, Yaminawa, Marubo, and Ticuna tribes.

Contents

The dried secretion contains up to 7% potently active peptides - phyllocaerulein, phyllomedusin, phyllokinin, dermorphins (selective mu opioid receptor agonists) and deltorphins (selective delta opioid receptor agonists).
Phyllomedusin is a new peptide of the tachykinin family. Phyllomedusin strongly affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels, and contributes to violent purging. Tachykinins are active peptides which excite neurons, evoke behavioral responses. They are potent vasodilators and secretagogues, and Phyllomedusin contract (directly or indirectly) many smooth muscles. Phyllomedusin is secreted protein and expressed by the skin glands.

Historical

The Panoan tribes that practice the poison frog ritual call it kambo or kampo in their language. The tree frog is stretched by strings tied to its limbs. Tree frogs are referred to as “sapos,” in spanish hence the term sapo as sometimes used to refer to the indigenous medicine, kambo. As painful as it may look, the tree frog is not harmed during the process in which the poison is harvested from its skin. Traditionally, older men scrape the epidermis of the frog with a wooden stick to remove the toxin. After harvesting the poison, the frog is released unharmed. To the Matses, harming the frog could offend animal spirits and resulting in severe misfortune.(1)
The tribal members use the poison as a medicine and hunting aid, claiming it makes them strong and invisible. The poison from the wooden stick is typically mixed with the shaman's saliva and applied to tiny burns.(2)
Sebastian, a Machineri Indian warns that their "healers know how to use the frog's secretion. Now, it is being used in other places incorrectly, and this has led to the death of patients."(3)

In the 1980s, during one of his visits to the Matses Indians in Peru, investigative journalist Peter Gorman documented the first first-hand experience of a human taking an animal substance directly into the blood stream for medicinal purposes. Times have changed since then. Throughout the Amazon, sapo, can now be purchased, without prescription, in markets and apothecaries, or administered by traditional healers and herbalists as a natural household remedy. Not surprisingly, the global pharmaceutical industry is now taking keen interest in the medicinal properties of frog slime. In an International Herald Tribune article dated May 31, 2006, an alliance between the Katukina tribe and the Brazilian government aims ensure that profits generated from the development of drugs from the phyllomedusa bicolor's secretions, will stay in the country and benefit the Katukinas.(4)

Plant Description

...or rather Animal Description:
Phyllomedusa bicolor, also known as the Giant Leaf Frog or the Giant Monkey Frog, is a large green noctural frog that lives in the trees of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon. Males 91-103 mm, females 111-119 mm. The dorsum is dark green and the belly varies from white to yellow-white or cream. There are sparse white spots with dark frames on the lower lips, chest and front legs, and these are more dense on the flanks and hind legs. Fingers are transparent brown with large green adhesive discs. A prominent gland extends from behind the eye over the tympanum. The iris is dark gray. The species is arboreal and nocturnal. Males usually call from high trees, and descend with the female to construct nests 1-3 m above ponds. Reproduction occurs throughout the year in ponds near to, or far from, streams, with a peak from November to May (rainy season). The females deposit about 600 unpigmented eggs in a gelatinous mass in leaf nests hanging over ponds. The leaves are joined or folded with the aid of the male. After 8-10 days, the tadpoles hatch and fall into the water, where they complete development until metamorphosis. Like other amphibians from around the world, the giant monkey frog is threatened by climate change and habitat loss.(5)

References

(1) Kambo, matses.info
(2) Frog Sweat ~ Matses Rainforest Medicine, by Peter Gorman, Mariri Magazine
(3) Biodiversity: Indigenous Peoples Fight Theft, by Julio Godoy, Inter Press Service News Agency
(4) Kampú - Taking the Frog Vaccine, by Lorna Li, Mariri Magazine
(5) Phyllomedusa bicolor, AmphibiaWeb

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Frog Poison Trial - YouTube
Frog secretions and hunting magic in the upper Amazon: Identification of a peptide that interacts with an adenosine receptor
Frog Sweat - Matses Rainforest Medicine, by Peter Gorman
Kambo, The Spirit of the Shaman
Kampo - Taking the Frog Vaccine
Making Magic - Peter Gorman
Peter Gorman
Phyllomedusa bicolor - Erowid
Poisonous Tree Frog Could Bring Wealth to Tribe in Brazilian Amazon, from The New York Times
The Matse and the Sacred - Bennett Blumenberg

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