One of these gardens is devoted specifically to plant species that help treat poisonous snake bites. Today, with the help of Forest Trends’ Communities Initiative, the Yawanawa are expanding their network of “living pharmacies” by building new medicinal plant gardens in their villages and by cultivating these plants in agroforestry systems throughout the surrounding tropical forest. You won’t find any of these names on Google, but over many generations the Yawanawa have slowly recognized and mastered their life-saving properties. Yawanawa field guide to 21 plants used to treat poisonous snake bites (click to enlarge) Each entry features an artful botanical illustration, along with reference photos and descriptions in Portuguese. There’s “Runa Nushi,” a creeping vine with smooth, almond-shaped leaves “Pitsuru Pãni,” with waxy, canoe-shaped leaflets alternating along straight branches and “Runa Kene,” whose oak-like foliage is especially adept at soaking up venom. The poster, released in late March, details 21 medicinal plants the Yawanawa have traditionally used to treat poisonous snake bites. That’s why the Yawanawa have captured their long-held botanical expertise in a new illustrated field guide that helps members of the community identify and use life-saving medicinal plants. Indigenous and traditional communities like the Yawanawa are the world’s most effective forest stewards, and preserving their understanding of nature and its resources ensures that they can sustainably manage and protect their forest homelands. Losing this kind of traditional knowledge threatens more than just local community health it also hampers the global fight against climate change, which relies on keeping the Amazon’s forests standing and soaking up massive amounts of carbon dioxide. Edilino, teenage botanist-in-training (Photo: Tashka Yawanawa) But that might not always be the case – not without efforts to prevent these traditions from disappearing with the last generation of medicinal plant masters. Luckily, Tio Luis’s teachings had done the trick, and both patients survived as a result. “This is your opportunity to see if you have learned what I’ve been teaching you!” Before parting ways, the elder Luis encouraged his nervous assistant: One seasoned medicine man, an elder known affectionately as Tio Luis (“Uncle Luis”), rushed to tend to one victim while Edilino, his teenage apprentice, ran to treat the other. That record was tested early this year, when two members of the tribe – one of them a 14-year-old boy – were bitten by deadly snakes in separate incidents at virtually the same time. In fact, the community hasn’t seen a single death from venomous snake bites in its history, thanks to a deep knowledge of over 2,000 medicinal plants that’s been passed down for generations. The Amazonian plant that recently saved two livesīut the Yawanawa, a tribe of 1,250 people living at the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, have never regarded snakes as much cause for alarm – not even those whose fangs pack a potent punch. What are the biggest hazards of life in the Amazon rainforest? Many outsiders might peg snakes at the top of the list: the region is home to dozens of venomous snakes, among other fearsome reptiles, fish, insects, and mammals.
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