Ayahuasca Shamans and the Healing Plants of the Amazon Rainforest of Peru – Part 2
A note about aguardiente, often used for preparing plants.
Good aguardiente is clear and pure. Adulterated, it looks cloudy and is not good for making medicine, it will upset the stomach because water and chemical alcohol – which is sold in the pharmacy for cleaning wounds and is not intended for drinking – have been mixed in to make economies.
You should buy it straight from the alambique, the container where it is kept in the distillery. It is good to drink a little glass first thing in the morning for good breath and dental hygiene.
Chullachaquicaspi
The name refers to the Amazonian folktale about a gnome which lives in the jungle. Your friend is out of sight for a moment and reappears but, unknown to you, he is in fact the mischievous Chullachaqui. He leads you deep into the forest until you are lost and there you stay! He can be recognised however by the fact that one foot is larger that the other or one foot is twisted back on itself.
He is the guardian of the Chullachaquicaspi tree, which can be used directly on the wound to heal deep cuts and haemorrhages – and internally too – because it contains a resin. Heals strains from lifting heavy weights can damage nerves. Good for joints.
It is also a powerful teacher plant which helps you get close to the spirit of the forest and guides you if you ‘diet’ with it. It owns you and protects you at the same time. The tree has large buttress roots because it grows in sandy soils where roots cannot grow deep. There are white and red varieties – both grow in damp low lying areas. It can teach the apprentice to recognise what plants can heal, and it can cleanse the mind of