Growing mainly in the upper Amazon, this plant is used as medicine by local Shamans. Looking almost like a violet, the Chiric Sanango is a purple flower (sometimes light sometimes dark) with a white center. The plant is supposed to have a positive effect on cold symptoms and may produce a feeling of light euphoria. Shamans in the upper Amazon also use it as an aphrodisiac.
The white trillium is another small flowering plant which grows in the mid to upper Amazon. This white flowering plant has three petals, three leaves and three stamens. This plant, like many plants in the Amazon, has a long history of medicinal use. The petals can be chewed as a pain reliever and the leaves are said to cure snake bite.
The fruit of this plant is used in a number of supplements designed to increase mental acuity and alertness. The Mestizo people of Peru use the squeezing of Sacha Mangua to relieve sinus pressure and cold symptoms. The fruit can also be eaten as a digestive aid. The ripened plant is eaten as a food, but in order to be effective as a medicinal source, the fruit must be harvested while still green.
Cat's claw (una de gato) is common throughout the Amazon and has multiple uses. This common looking vine has small thorns at the base of its leaves which it uses to attach to trees. Cat's claw is used as an immunity booster in many supplements and capsules and parts of the plant are also boiled and spread to treat inflammation, infection and colds.
The giant kapok is one of the most unique features of the Amazon rainforest. Growing at a rate of up to 13 feet per year, the kapok matures at about 200 feet and houses many other life forms in the rainforest including toucans and monkeys. The kapok is also used by native tribes to construct canoes and huts. The seeds of this giant are used to treat fever and kidney disease.
