Ethnobiology's topics - tribe.net

Psylocibe Kombucha for Spiritual and Physical Well-being: Recipes?

2009-11-03T02:41:34Z

Hello!

Has anyone developed or experimented with a psylocibe kombucha recipe?

I would love to hear of your experiences with this!

One imagines that the introduction of the psylocibes would occur during the bottling phase... or would it?

What have you encountered?

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Blue Lotus

2009-10-18T04:44:16Z

and other lovely things..Does anyone have any contact info on the best mail order companies for ethnos.I used to use Of The Jungle but can't find them now

posted in Ethnobiology - 4 replies

Biblical use of Magic-Mushrooms.

2009-04-20T20:53:41Z

Hell-Low from Heaven-High: I am author/publisher of MANNA the book documenting the Biblical use of Magic-Mushrooms. I hope I can find some friends here who share my interest.

Manna is the food-from-heaven provided by God to Israelites in the wilderness, according to the Bible the Israelites are said to have eaten Manna
My book Manna explores the evidence that Christ was the leader of a Pagan Cult teaching a renaissance of an ancient Egypt Mysticism kept secret by an elite caste of priests within the Jewish Rabbis until such a time as Christ came and taught it to the masses, resulting in accusations of blasphemy and the crucifixion of the first Christians.

Exodus 16:14-24 indicates that Manna was inevitably a mushroom.
It was a small round thing in the morning dew, it bred larva, and would melt to mush if not dried. King James Version.
All “wild” mushroom pickers know that mushrooms are most notorious for being infested with worms. This is because flies worldwide of all varieties lay their eggs up into the gills, which then hatch causing the larvae/worms to crawl out as the mushroom matures.

Daniel 5:3-5 with Exodus 16:32 and Hebrews 9:4
indicates that the mushroom was a drug. After sacking the temple in Jerusalem and stealing the Ark-of-the-Covenant, the King of Babylon and his table drank from the golden cup containing the holy “Manna” they had visions within the hour. Psilocybin mushrooms take 30-40 minutes to induce visions.

Hebrews 9:4 makes it clear that Manna was the most holy thing to Israelites, kept in a Pot-Of-Gold in the Ark Of The Covenant, in the Most Holy Of Holys. So sacred is the Manna that only the High Priest has access to it, and only on one day of the year Yom Kippur, which comes 3 days before the harvest moon AllHallowsEve.

Psalm 78:24-25 calls Manna Food Of Angels, just as Mayan/Inca Priests from Meso-America called it Teonanacatl Food Of The Gods.
Manna is an Egyptian word, not Hebrew or Aramaic, meaning;
The Bread of God. This is what Moses called it in Exodus 16:15.
“Bread Of God” means Food-Of-God, which is the same meaning of Teonanacatl (Mayan), and Ambrosia Greek, and Soma Hindu a word for mushroom tea, all these words mean “Spiritual Food”.
Coca and Tobacco Leaves found in Pharaohs tombs suggest it was ancestors of Mayan/Inca Priests who brought mushrooms to Egypt.

John 2:6-9 indicates that Jesus made water into wine by boiling mushrooms Mushroom-Tea, the waterpots were made of stone, not clay, stone pots were used for cooking, clay pots used for storing water. These pots already contained 2-3 firkins of a substance before the pots were filled with water.
A Firkin is an Old-English measurement meaning a fourth part. Half to three-quarters of fresh mushrooms with water makes a potent tea. Tea is the safest way to consume field mushrooms, killing dangerous bacteria like E. Coli. In the Atharva Veda, the Hindus called this Tea Soma. Greeks called mushroom jelly Ambrosia.
Those who drank the water made into wine said it was the most potent intoxicant St. John 2:10. The Bible tells us that Jesus making water into wine was the “beginning of miracles” … in other words no one saw any miracles until drinking the wine made from water. St. John 2:11.

Certainly for the Israelites Egypt was the origin of Manna, which explains why all the Patriarchs of Israel were educated in Egypt, Moses, Christ, and Joseph The favorite son of Israel, were all educated in Egypt. Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter, and Abraham found his God at a place called Shechem, which is another Egyptian word for Manna.
Teonanacatl [Maya]
Soma [Hindu]
Ambrosia or Broma-Theon [Greek]
Manna [Egyptian, Israelite]
It can be no coincidence that the Mayan, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, and Israelite words for the mushroom all mean exactly the same thing: The Bread Of God.

Manna was round, was found on the ground in the dew, would melt to mush if not dried or collected on time, and would breed larvae. All unique characteristics of mushrooms. When dried it was like “wafers of bread” and it’s color was like “coriander seed”, the consistency and color of dried mushrooms, as described in Exodus Ch. 16.

The Preceding text is an excerpt from my book MANNA.
Copyright: Sacred WinePress: All rights reserved, no part of this text may be reproduced, stored in a database or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Ex 16:31)- “And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” -(Ex 16:31). In Palanque Mexico where Psilocybe Cubensis grows year round in pastures that surround the pyramids I learned that honey is an age old way of preserving mushrooms, by immersing them in the honey, the water-soluble psilocybin then leaches into the honey as it is heated at a low temperature over several days, the mushrooms can then be strained out, making “Blue-Honey” which explains not only why Manna was said to taste of honey, but also explains the sweet tasting jelly-like elixir of the Greeks called “Ambrosia”.

Later in Numbers 11:6-9 we are told that Manna tasted of fresh oil, which is perhaps a better description of the taste of “fresh” mushrooms not preserved in honey or by drying. We are also told that Manna was baked into cakes, which is another means of preserving mushrooms so they won’t spoil, and also a safety measure ensuring that dangerous E. Coli (and other germs from

The Preceding text is an excerpt from my book MANNA.
Copyright: Sacred WinePress: All rights reserved, no part of this text may be reproduced, stored in a database or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher

posted in Ethnobiology - 32 replies

Chat plant- health

2008-07-13T18:18:13Z

Hello Fellow Herbies-
I have a Chat or- Kaht or- khaat plant( I am still not certain of it's spelling) I got from Ethnobotanist Richard ? - he owns Ethnobontany Theatrum. I this plant- have had it for about 4-5 years- it's in my green house. Ethiopians chew the leaves for a mild lift- in mood and energy.
Currently, she is starting to experience browning of leaves- and plant malaise. I repotted her in a bigger pot- she perked a bit- now is still not coming all the way around. any comments - or does any one else tend this type of plant?

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L. Buchmann and Gary Paul Nabhan

2008-07-10T23:18:59Z

I'm currently reading this book... It's mostly about the pollinators other than honeybees, but has a real awesome description of honey hunting in Malaysia and talks about the rituals involved in Mayan (stingless) beekeeping.

Anyways, just thought I'd past it on... I found it at my local library, but there's more info here - http://www.ecobooks.com/books/pollinat.htm

Sweetness & light to you all!

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

gathering the worlds strains and selling them American genetic hybrids

2008-05-31T13:58:36Z

Because a white man in a suit can not stroll into the markets of Indonesia and say “you should give me your regional seed that your family has been growing forever and buy my seed every year”, he would be run out of town. Instead the bio-genetic companies try to play a hero role. They offer young students in the area a free ride to American universities, in exchange those students must work for the company for two years. Sounds like a dream to the students, a full ride and a high paying job waiting for them when they graduate. Upon graduating the individuals will return to their home town as a local but now working for the bio-genetic seed company. They will use several of the success plants that the companies have produces like strains of broccoli that will grow in high temperatures to persuade the community to buy the seeds. They will say “Grandma, look at how well my seeds are growing, how great and uniform my corn is, you should buy my companies seed”. These individuals also collect the local strains of vegetables and fruits to bring to the labs of the bio-genetic seed companies so they can eventually patent a hybrid of the strains.

What is at stake is the independence of all people and the cycle of seed to seed life that has existed FOREVER.

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Improper "Big Pharma" Influence in Medicine is VERIFIED!

2008-04-17T17:48:29Z

Improper "Big Pharma" Influence in Medicine is VERIFIED!

This is a BIG step in the right direction for health care in the USA! It has been no secret, but no one was talking about it since the monetary benefits that many doctors are receiving from these companies made this unlikely. I mean - if you were the type to only care about money (which is why many become doctors in the first place), wouldn't you want a free trip to Cancun by putting other people on basically unproven and even harmful chemical substances?

Catherine D. De Angelis, MD, MPH and Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, MBA have submitted this timely (and likely unwelcome) article into the April 16, 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), entitled "Impugning the Integrity of Medical Science - the Adverse Effects of Industry Influence."

What is even more awesome is that this was broadcast on the same day on the morning edition of Talk Radio's "Paul Harvey" show, so this information has come to the attention of many Americans today!

I am happy to see that some doctors do in fact have some integrity. This may also be an opening for safer alternative methods to be approved by the AMA for doctors to use and not feel like they will have their medical licensing taken away if they recommend a proven herbal remedy (as an example) instead of the new designer drugs of the day. I hope this allows them the courage to step forward now that the door has been opened!

We can help by showing this to our medical providers (if you have those) this article, and telling them about this, they can maybe take additional steps as doctors to become more able to practice alternative and natural techniques without risking their careers. Also, tell your friends in any way you can, so that they can demand alternative therapies be implemented or they will go elsewhere now that this article ought to free up other practitioners to use these methods. This also provides some validation for Alternative practitioners who have known about these dangers all along. Health care freedom (and responsibility) is up to all of us - please spread the message!

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/15/1833 (download in case they remove!)
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/282/17/1609

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Society of Ethnobiology Conference

2008-02-28T21:27:18Z

It's at the U of Arkansas this year. Anybody going? I got a grant for it....hellz yeah I'll be there!

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

Ethnosphere & Languages being the Old Growth Forests of the MInd

2007-12-22T05:22:31Z

Hello ethnobiology tribe! I'm new to the tribe sites. Since I love the diversity of nature & co-created gardens, I also love the diversity of cultures on the earth. I found a great video (?youtube like) on the web and wanted to share the link since it was great to listen to.
When we support the preservtaion of the language of indigenous cultures we also increase the preservations of diversity of species and the knowledge of how they are used.

Please come to my site and let me know what you thought of the video on my blog and say hi.

I'm Slowly developing my personal page and would love to hear from a few folks. Thanks, Dancing Earthwalker here is the info I'm passing on below:

Ethnosphere online video by Wade Davis, a National Geopgraphic Explorer.: http://www.ted.com/talks

This video is excellant and and worth listening to. Wade is also coming to Seattle to give a talk this February. If you want more details post me a question on my blog module on my tribe page.

Wade talks about the ethnosphere as being the sum of all the "thoughts and dreams, ideas and myths, institutuions and aspirations, brought about by the human imagination."

He is speaks passionately about preserving the ethnosphere especially through the indigenous languages. He sais "every language is an old-growth forest of the mind....an entire ecosystem of spiritual possiblities"

It is worth the time to listen to this free online video that runs about 15 minutes or so.

Dancing Earthwalker

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Ethnobiology grad programs?

2007-11-20T20:24:36Z

Do you fine EB people know of any good ones? Ive searched and searched and I swear there aren't any. Probably under the anthro dept....

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

TRUTH IS FREE; so is my RETREAT --Vermont

2007-11-05T18:39:39Z

I'm looking to network with folks, to extend an invitation to visit Bald Mountain Retreat (www.baldmountainretreat.com) as my guest. Like-minded people who appreciate rustic accommodations are welcome to come up at no charge. (Those who require a private room can inquire about those accommodations as well.)
Basically, I'm offering people the opportunity to come stay with a retired naturopathic doctor in a truly amazing natural setting, secluded, idyllic, peaceful...
Also, if you might like to lead a retreat, please contact me.
Thank you and you are welcome,
Dr David

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

New memeber- special interest-Amazon Herbs

2007-10-19T14:58:18Z

Hello ethnobotanical buds. I am a collector of chaga mushrooms and networker for promoting Amazon healers. We want to bring 12-15 serious people down to the ecuadorean jungle every three to six months for learning and treatments for health issues. I belienve my life was saved by the ancient knowledge of the Shuar Kichwa and Shipibo people. If anyone is interested in getting involved in events in North America, please send me a message. Thank you all for your work as vessels of plant medicine wisdom.

And if anyone needs chaga for their own personal use, I have a constant supply at this time of 4-8 year old chaga in powdered or whole form. Peace Steve

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Amazon pharmacopiea

2007-10-19T14:49:26Z

Amazonmedicine.com has a comprehensive website showing many herbs and their uses. Very powerful liver detoxicants and regenerators. Check it out. I especially like the jatoba for energy and as a hepatoprotector, chuchuhuasi as a muscle relaxer, iporuru for inflamation and rheumatism. So many herbs I can't list them here. Great stuff. Haooty healthy trails to all... Steve

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Fall Ecology and Harvest: An Intergenerational Exploration

2007-10-03T02:49:20Z

Scholarship and Worktrade available. Please call 541 937-2567 ext.116 or email nature@lostvalley.org for more information.

October 13-14, 2007 (Saturday-Sunday)
at Lost Valley Educational Center, Dexter, OR

We invite people ages 12 through 112 to join us to learn about fall ecology, indigenous tradition, and the harvest season here in the western Cascade foothills. Throughout this weekend of presentations, discussions, and activities, we'll explore how we can learn from one another and pass ecological wisdom and insights back and forth between generations. The schedule (subject to change) is as follows:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 morning: indigenous traditions and their modern applications
9-9:30 am: introduction/welcome circle
9:30-10:30 am: Esther Stutzman (Kalapuyan storyteller)
10:40-11:30 am: presentation and discussion circle featuring Bill Burwell (Kalapuya researcher), Jerry Hall (ethnobotanist, Lane Community College), Dharmika Henschel (ethnobotanist/musician), Jude Hobbs (Permaculture teacher and designer, Agroecology Northwest), and Rick Valley (Lost Valley land steward, Permaculture teacher and designer)
11:30 am-12:10 pm: break-out groups
12:10-12:30 pm: concluding morning circle
12:30-1:30 pm: lunch

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 afternoon and evening: seasonal harvest activities, ecological restoration, ecovillage development, youth initiatives, and bioregional culture
2-4:30 pm: tour (Rick Valley) and hands-on harvest- and land-related activities
4:45-5:45 pm: Alison Rosenblatt (NextGEN--Global Ecovillage Network)
6-7 pm: dinner
7:30 pm on: music (Dharmika Henschel and others), sharing circle about traditional seasonal celebrations, stories, poems, networking

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 morning: school gardening, youth, and horticultural exploration
7:30-8:30 am: breakfast
9-9:30 am: morning welcome circle
9:30-9:50 am: Sharon Blick (former director, School Garden Project)
9:50-10:10 am: Jen Anonia (Food for Lane County Gardens Program Manager)
10:10-10:30 am: Heiko Koester (Permacultural landscaper, Eugene Permaculture Guild)
10:40-11:20 am: Sarah Kleeger and Andrew Still (Seed Ambassadors Project)
11:30 am-12:30 pm: discussion
12:30-1:30 pm: lunch

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 afternoon: autumn ecology and ethnobotany
2-4:15 pm: talks and walks with Dave Kofranek (lichenologist), Tobias Policha (ethnobotanist, Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany), Heiko Koester, and others
4:30-5:30 pm: closing circle

Conference registration fees, including four organic vegetarian meals, are $105 for students 12 and above, $135 for non-students. Overnight lodging ($30) and camping ($10) are also available. We are offering a $10 discount/rebate from your registration fee for each paying registrant who first heard about the event through you, or who cites you as his or her primary influence in considering attending. A limited number of worktrade scholarships are available (for an application, follow the link within the online registration form at www.lostvalley.org/fallecology/registration). If space allows, we will also accept single-day attendees for $80 Saturday only, $65 Sunday only (or, for students, $65 Saturday only, $50 Sunday only.) See www.lostvalley.org/fallecology for updated event details, or contact Fall Ecology and Harvest Event, 81868 Lost Valley Lane, Dexter, OR 97431, (541) 937-2567 x116, nature AT lostvalley.org.

brochure: www.lostvalley.org/files/Fall%20Ecology%20and%20Harvest%20brochure.pdf
poster: www.lostvalley.org/files/Fall%20Ecology%20and%20Harvest%20poster.pdf

Cosponsors:
Lost Valley Nature Center
Lost Valley Educational Center’s 87 acres include oak savanna, natural meadow, stream and riparian areas, ponds, extensive forest lands in various states of maturity, gardens and orchards. Our diverse habitats and several miles of nature trails offer unique environmental education opportunities. Lost Valley Nature Center sponsors walks and public events (like May’s Native Plants and Permaculture Gathering) to help nature-lovers learn from the land and from one another.

NextGEN
NextGEN is a global network organized by young adults concerned with issues of sustainability. We hope to inspire you with examples of viable and positive choices for the future. We offer opportunities for action through conferences, educational workshops, and direct experience in communities. Our international support network develops connections among activists and encourages resource sharing.

Excerpts from May’s Native Plants and Permaculture Conference Proceedings:

Bill Burwell: At the start of each harvest season the Kalapuyans would have a first gathering ceremony. The spiritual leader of each winter village site would harvest a few articles of each resource, bring it back, prepare it in a ceremonial way, bless the plants or animals that were responsible, and then the regular harvest could begin. The first gathering ceremony was very important to them, and it was practiced all throughout the Kalapuya culture, religiously. Their belief was that all plants and animals, including humans, were part of the same format. As above, so below. Just like humans, plants and all animals had families, and then beyond the families they had communities.

There’s one word I know of that was utilized all the way up and down the Willamette Valley, the lower Columbia, and into the Salish area in Washington: Tamanawas. It’s been translated as spirit power. People who went out on a vision quest were looking for their Tamanawas. I think what it really related to was a person’s ability to interconnect with all the rest of nature. I’ve collected a number of tales of the people going out into the woods to find a particular medicine, and their ability to find this medicine came from the ability to plug into that certain plant and interact with it. The plant actually was the teacher of the person who was going out on the search.

Jerry Hall: When we started learning our language, songs began coming to us. There is the belief that songs are just in the ether or in the air, and they select somebody to come to at a time in that person’s life. … My experience is that singing evokes something from us that is beyond talking and gives expression to prayer.

I feel that nature is really part of the home and that people related that way five hundred years ago. People knew where everything was and they took care of it.

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

First Time Peyote User - Any Pointers?

2007-10-02T23:03:07Z

I was hoping someone here could enlighten me on an entheogen issue. I've been using other entheogens for spiritual purposes for a while and I'd really like to step it up a bit and try peyote. I've been trying to do research but haven't gotten very far, the one institute that keeps popping up is the Peyote Way in Arizona, and they want $300 for a spirit walk. I've never done it so I don't know for sure, but that seems a bit steep. plus I'm in austin, TX so it's not exactly close. can anyone on this forum tell me if there's a place I could go that's a little closer and a little cheaper? I'd greatly appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction.

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

Materials for musical instruments from entheogenic plants?

2007-09-23T22:50:31Z

Being aware that Arundo donax (the plant that is used to make clarinet and saxophone reeds) has certain entheogenic properties as well as being used for thousands of years for making musical instruments, I am on the quest for finding out about more entheogenic materials for musical instruments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundo_donax

I suppose one could use brugmansia wood if the plant was big enough, but then there's the question of locating such stuff (I wouldn't really want to kill one just for this purpose, but found wood would be great.)

Any other ideas? Sources, etc.?

Any kind of musical instrument... Any kind of entheogen... Help me brainstorm here, folks!

Thanks!

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

FDA Trying to Eliminate Alternative Medicine

2007-04-26T12:47:57Z

Attention everyone, as an aspiring ethnobotanist, and one who studies medicines alternative to what our Western culture provides I believe this topic applicable to those here, so please read the following articles carefully and if you disagree with what the FDA is doing(which I believe you all will) then please help me fight this and spread attention to this.
I fully believe these actions furthers my thoughts on America becoming more and more a police state for them to reel in full control of how the public chooses to heal themselves, I ask again brothers and sisters, speak out with me

maine.craigslist.org/pol/311509209.html

www.newstarget.com/z021789.html

Best,
Anthony

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

indigenous story of struggle for land to work

2007-04-25T14:09:09Z

The Earth, the Land, Our Mother
A Report About Land and Territory in the Encounter Between the Zapatista Communities and the Communities of the World

By Rodrigo Ibarra
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

January 19, 2007

Oventic is a village buried between two mountains in the middle of a sea of steep peaks. It is hidden, blanketed by a thick fog that comes and hides everything or leaves to uncover brilliant clarities.

Photos: D.R. 2006 Rodrigo Ibarra
The Encounter of the Zapatista Communities with the Communities of the World took place here, in this small town, which in all is one street, ending just a little further down in a small flat area with a basketball court. At the halfway point in the road, on the left hand side, is the auditorium: a large shack with wooden walls and a pine roof.

There were 2,000 of us there in that auditorium on January 1, with the authorities of the Caracoles and the Zapatista Juntas of Good Government. The topic at hand was: Territory. Its significance, the history of slavery and rebellion linked to it and the manner in which autonomy has permitted the indigenous Zapatistas to relate with it in accord with their culture were all themes that were discussed.

Land and Territory

The topic of territory is exceptionally important. It has strong economic implications and since, as is well understood by the Western world, land has everything to do with production: agriculture, GANADERIA, wood, natural resources. But not only this. This is where the terrible conflict arises between Western thought and the way the indigenous sees and understands this world. Territory is the root, it is where everything emanates from, it’s the mother, and it is to what we belong. “The earth, our mother, is what COBIJA us, giving us food, giving us sustenance. Land is not a business,” said Saul in the name of the Junta of Good Government, Number 1, Hacia la Esperanza, Caracol Madres de los Caracoles del Mar de Nuestros Sueños, UBICADA in Realidad. Lorenzo, another authority, but from Junta 4, Corazón Arcoiris de la Esperanza, in the community of Morrelia, also explained later: “The earth is for those who work her,” he said in Catillano and then in his language, tojolabal. He continued: “The land cannot be sold. We care for her and love her. In her we are born. From her we eat. Those who sell her, sell their own mother.”

“With this and no more we understand the world,” whispered someone from within the attendant crowd, which was turning on their seats of wood, pliable and foldable.

Photo: D.R. 2006 Rodrigo Ibarra
Five hours came and went fluidly, ordered, as the smooth compass of the Castellano of the Zapatistas singing in the LECH of their indigenous accent. The authorities from the five Juntas of Good Government succeeded one another in small, diverse groups on men and women. Saúl, Jesús, Elisa and María on behalf of the Junta of Good Government (JBG) 1. Marcelo, Abraham and Zenaida for JBG 2: Corazón Céntrico de Los Zapatistas Delante del Mundo, in Oventic. Next from JBG 3: Camino Hacia el Futuro, in Garrucha: Samuel, Esther, Alex and Lidia. For JBG 4, Lorenzo and Minerva. And for JBG 5: Nuestra Semilla Que Va a Producir, in Roberto Barrios, Compañeros Pascual and Anabel. Covered by masks, they read or spoke clearly and simply, each one touching on various aspects, always within the appropriate topic.

The History

From distinct voices we heard the history of exploitation, disdain, humiliation and deprivation, abuse and injustice. That which, today and for centuries past, a history that is breathed and drunken in every place and corner of our México. For the Zapatistas it is already an interrupted and exiled destiny, laying life on the line and proclaiming with determination, “Ya Basta”.

Esther from La Garrucha explained to us: “In the times of Porfirio Díaz we suffered the mistreatment of the landlord. We worked but they never paid us. We bore chingas and beatings. The government favored the farm owners. They didn’t allow the indigenous to organize. They sent the indigenous to jail or to be killed. They said that the indigenous have no right to the land. They treated us like animals and we did not know our rights. We didn’t know how to read or write.

Samuel, also from JBG 3 continued: “The women also worked in the boss’ farm, watched by the foreman. If they didn’t do the work well, they were abused. The work was to grind the boos’ cord, bring firewood to the boss, grind the salt, put the mixtamal for the boss. Everyday the men and women did the same work. They didn’t pay them. They gave them a liter of liquor so that the poor little indigenous would remain content.”

Before, Saúl, authority from the Junta Hacia la Experanza also gave a brief account: “Before ’94, we thought that the land was for those who had money. We then understood it belongs to those that work it. We decided to rise up in arms. We, the poor, don’t have anywhere to work.”

The Uprising and the Redistribution

Alex, from Junta 3 commented: “In 1994, for this reason, the entire community rose up in arms. That is where we said, “enough already!” to the abuse. To shed light to the world because we are already organized well enough to take the land.

The great rich men, landowners, coffee growers and cattlemen generally abandoned the land. This was then distributed between the Zapatistas and was considered recuperated land. Saúl, from JBG 1, told on of how the uprising “put fear into the farm owners and they left the land. These are lands recuperated through the struggle. We see that with organization and strength from everyone, we could take the land that we are now working.” Alex, from Camino hacia el Futuro, was more detailed: “In 1977 the authorities from the Agricultural Commission (of the EZLN) gave this land to its bases of support. They also acquired parcels of 50 square meters for homes in which to live.”

Minerva, from Junta 4, wears a white blouse with a border of flowers. She speaks with bravery: “we succeeded in recuperating the land, thanks to those compañeros that gave their blood. We worked this land and we are ashamed to have had to recuperate was really was ours. The farmers did not know how to use (the land) the way she deserves. Now, we work collectively and with organic fertilizer, as did our grandparents.”

Agricultural Rebellion

Minerva refers to inter-subjectivity, a concept explained by linguist Carlos Lenkersdorf in his study on tojolabal entitled The True Men. The relation between subject and subject espoused by the indigenous chiapanecos makes each person and each object within its environment. The land deserves better, says Minerva. The treatment received from the farmers was typical from westerners, who consider land as an object, an exploitable resource. When Saúl and Lorenzo spoke of land as their mother, they weren’t making a metaphor. For them, as for the whole indigenous world, the land is a subject, with life, with a proper consciousness, and as such the relationship of man with her is one of profound veneration, respect and gratitude. She deserves a treatment, as we say in Castellano, humane, in the best of words. The ecological consciousness of the indigenous peoples is ancestral and profound and so the caring for nature is related intimately with their own dignity and integrity as a people and as a community.

Consequently, the Zapatistas, in exercising autonomy, they have also revolted with agriculture. In their territories, they have overthrown the so-called “Green Revolution” of Norman Borlaug and the Rockefeller foundation, imported from the United States, imposed in our country during the 1940s and which still reigns in México and the world. A mode of intensive production based on the greatest genetic denomination (and also on genetic engineering), technology, mechanization and the abuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; fundamental cause of ecologic disaster and health that we are enduring at a global level. The Zapatistas have explained to us how they have prohibited the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides: “they do not understand what they are doing,” explaned Alex in reference to the use of chemicals, “with fertilizers there is always something to harvest but they don’t understand that it is killing mother earth. We work with machetes and irregardless of how much it costs, we have a healthy product.”

The Ecology

Zapatistas have promoters of health and education, whom are part of their communities, and have also formed Promoters for Agro-ecology. “We have created workshops. The promoters of agro-ecology learn about the study and conservation of the lands: about nurseries, reforestation, how to take care of young domestic animals. They learn and disseminate methods of recuperating and taking care of our resources, to recover the strength of our earth. They care for the seeds and avoid the use of genetically modified ones,” explained Maria, from Junta 1.

Photo: D.R. 2006 Rodrigo Ibarra
But not alone. The Zapatistas further work the earth in collective and gender equality. Elisa explained to us: “We have not abandoned out mother earth. As women, we have the same right as the men. We work in colectivos.” Lorenzo added: “The harvest is distributed into equal parts for our family and for our commissions (those compañeros who participated in some responsibility) since we know that they don’t have salaries and they work with heart. The women also work the land. We distribute the vegetables in equal parts. We plant organic seeds. We do not want genetically altered seeds. We take care of the seed because it is the inheritance for our children.”

Agrarian Justice

However, within their territory, the Zapatistas live with a population that is not Zapatista. Indigenous and mestizos that have not participated in the movement, but are themselves owners of land, communal properties, ejidos and small properties, live adjunct to them. “We share a territory with different cultures, Zapatista and non-Zapatista. We are the same with different philosophies. We respect them and their mode of being. Sometimes there are problems over the land. We look for a solution, not make the problem any larger but instead to resolve it through dialogue. We want to be an example for all others, building a different world from which we live in now,” affirmed Saúl during his turn. “The Zapatistas have also created an Agrarian Commission in charge of those type of land issues. “The Agrarian Commission attends to other groups and religions,” commented Alex. He continued, “when there are problems, we send two subpoenas. If there is no response (from the person cited, party to the conflict) we look for a leader (from the organization that that person belongs to) so that the leader may get that person’s attention in a proper manner.” Also, there have been conflicts between two or more organizations that are not Zapatista, that “fight amongst themselves. Then they come to the Juntas of Good Government. There, we investigate and see who is in the right. To the person who is in the right, we give them their piece of land,” explained Jesus, Saúl’s compañero in Junta 1.

Abraham is Tzotzil. This is noted because he is wearing a black heavy coat, the Chui, and a round hat with flowing ribbons of all colors. He belongs to Caracol 2. “The government has provoked conflict in order to confront the communities and justify its violent incursion. We have tried to look for solutions as the Junta of Good Government does, through dialogue and investigation. Justice is applied without taking into account affiliation, creed or religion.” The small properties of those who did not leave in 1994 and have 50 hectares or less are respected (lands that are private property that do not exceed a certain area, in accord with the Political Constitution of the United States of Mexico) by the Zapatista laws,” noted Alex.

The Bad Government

More conflicts with the Bad Government persist. The roots of these conflicts can be found in the changes made to Article 27 of the constitution, that gave way to the Program of Certification of Property Rights and Urban Land Titles (PROCEDE, in its Spanish initials). In accord with diverse specialists and farm worker organizations, this program, initiated in 1992, is a trap laid by the government for the communal land owners and communities to dismantle the community land properties and the ejidos (ancestral communal lands). The program grants titles to individual properties and is one more step in the formal disintegration of the ejidos. Furthermore, through these reforms, the land, that before was nontransferable by law, now can be etched out and sold or leased.

Photo: D.R. 2006 Rodrigo Ibarra
The Zapatistas, as well as many other groups, communities and peasant organizations in México, are conscious of this. “We do not want PROCEDE,” affirmed Saúl in the Encounter, “we will defend our mother. We have given life to defend her. Zapata said that the land, seas and that below the ground is of the people. (Carlos) Salinas (the president at the time of the reforms to Article 27) said no. There are peasant compañeros in all states that know that the best lands are held by the landlords, but the day will come when these lands will belong to the peasants.” Minerva also touched this point: “The Bad Government has the land controlled and has entered the communities to convince us to change. PROCEDE serves to divide; to lose the culture and collectivism.” She continued to affirm: “We have promised to struggle against this bad idea.”

Pascual, from Caracol 5, also entered into this topic: “(Carlos) Salinas has entered a new deception. He measured all the land. Many fell into the trick and accepted to parcel the land and live paying taxes. We do not accept this. For this reason we rose up in arms. For this reason our enemy is PROCEDE. The government wants us on its side, but it’s now difficult because we have already constructed our autonomy.”

Minerva’s words serve as an example when discussing the conflicts generated by the government against the Zapatista communities: “They continue to want to enter with their projects. They want to destroy us and return us to slavery. We will not allow it. Nor will we allow that our children suffer exploitation and scorn. We made a promise to defend the land, whether Zapatista or not. Never again will we allow them to come and tell us how to work.” In this sense, Anabel made a denounce over the territory in Roberto Barrios. “In our autonomous municipalities, the mad government has a plan to displace the communities in 2007 with paramilitaries. There are water, petroleum, wood, land, mine and biodiversity interests. We will defend throughout the world with information. We will unite with other organizations such as The Other Campaign to defend the land.

Accounts of Other Participants

The following is a brief summary of other participants:

The National Indigenous Congress

After the participation and ample explanation given by the Juntas of Good Government followed the participants of those that were on “this side”. First came the National Indigenous Congress. The representatives were: Juan Dionislo, Ñahñu, from San Pedro Atlapulco, State of México, and Yolanda Meza Calles, from the Kumiai Nation, from Tecate, Baja California.

They reaffirmed the importance of land as our mother and the importance of protecting her as the only way to survive. They gave a historic account of their own history, united with the history of the EZLN. They reaffirmed points from their 4th National Indigenous Congress:

Reunited in the indigenous community of N’donhuani-San Pedro Atlapulco, State of México, the representative delegates of the indigenous communities of nahua, zapoteca, wixárika, mazahua, amuzgo, cuicateco, kumiai, kikapu, purhépecha, tlahuica , chocolteco, chinanteco, ñu saabih, hñahñu, tenek, maya, totonaco, mayo, tlapaneco, coca, trique, tepehua, rarámuri, ch’ol, tzeltal, guachichil-chichimeca, zoque, matlatzinca, mixe and popolucas declare:

1. We will continue to exercise our autonomy in action.
2. We ratify the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandona Jungle and claim The Other Campaign. We are in solidarity with our brother and sister political prisoners of San Salvador Atenco.
3. We demand the immediate retreat of the police and repressive bodies of the State in the region of San Salvador Atenco, and also in all other regions of the country where military and police control is maintained to harass and intimidate the people and communities that fight in defense of their territory and their ways of life.
4. We denounce the assassins of compañeros Javier Conté, killed by the police that repressed the people of San Salvador Atenco, compañero Concepción Gabiño, from the indigenous community of Cuzalapa, who fought in defense of the land in the region of Manantlán, Jalisco, and compañero Faustino Acevedo of San Blas Atempa, in the ISTMO of Tehuantepec, when he led that community to participate in the jobs of this fourth congress.
5. We also denounce the rape and violation of all the compañeras apprehended in San Salvador Atenco, by the police and the systematic and fascist violence that the state exercises against all women; that through their work they are reinvigorating the struggles of resistance and dignity throughout the country.
6. We are calling to strengthen the National Indigenous Congress in all regions and the frequent celebration and periodic meetings to communicate, to reflect, to act and to propose.
7. We denounce all the laws that the state uses to try to deprive us, to legitimize their take-over of the country and to impose controls that restrict the action of peoples and communities and give broad freedoms to transnational countries that allow them to devastate and take control of the material and spiritual richness of our people and all Mexicans.
8. We denounce the government programs that orchestrate the abovementioned laws and that try to divide the communities.
9. We will reinforce the mechanisms of communication between the different regions and communities of the National Indigenous Congress.
10. We will reinforce and make viable those mechanisms of solidarity and promises with the struggles of each and every one of the indigenous communities, organizations and people.
11. As a final point in our declaration, we challenge the Mexican State and call on all indigenous peoples, communities and organizations, and all oppressed sectors, to form a broad anti-capitalist front that will propel a process that moves toward a new constitution and another form of government that permits the recognition of our rights and a just, free and democratic society.

And these accords that are born from our hearts are the flowers of our trees, ready to give new seeds; seeds of life and hope.

Next, they spoke in defense of the mother earth and the indigenous autonomy realized in Mezcala, in the state of Jalisco, in which “we ratified our promise with the struggle of our indigenous people, from below and to the left, and manifested our complete support for the struggle of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca and their demands, and reaffirmed that our mother earth and all the life that is born from her are sacred, and as such are neither bought nor sold and no one can appropriate from others that which benefits only a few, and for which reason we declare ourselves anti-capitalist and ready to construct a great force that will surge up from below, from our peoples and together with other brothers and sisters from the country and the cities that are deprived, exploited and oppressed. To put an end to this system of death and to those governments that sustain it.”

They finished reaffirming the importance of the exercise of autonomy in territory that belongs to them and offered this experience as a contribution to the National Plan of Struggle.

Kurdistan

A male, thin and tall, passes to the front. He says, in a slow Castellano, that he comes from Kurdistan, the ancient Mesopotamia. He asks permission to speak in French and that an interpreter will translate simultaneously. “The sun and the earth are for my people, the most sacred.” He explains how they have suffered repression, colonization and dearth. He denounced England and the United States and the new colonialists that invaded Iraq, a country that is part of his territory. He speaks of the destruction of the environment caused by capitalism. He says that in Kurdistan, many things occur similar as to in México. He then gives an invitation to an encounter on March 21 as an encounter of peoples. “I hope to see all of you there” he says, and the people laugh. He ends saying: “ Biji Kurdistan, biji Chiapas.” Biji means Live.

SCLC

A woman from San Cristóbal de las Casas speaks of a popular neighborhood in the city, the 5 de Marzo. It was formed with recuperated land, she says. She speaks of the repression that they have suffered and how the women are those that have fought the most. The government has economic interests and wants the property. “We do not have the authority to allocate the land, but yes, we do have the strength, and we are organized.”

Los Pames

Another compañero denounces the seizure of lands in La Palma, a municipality of Rayón Tamazopo in San Luís Potosí. It is a conflict about 1800 hectares. The community has a decree from the restitution of 1922. They have begun the recuperation process and are asking us to stay alert.

Tabasco

In the municipality of Tacotalpa there has been an agrarian conflict since 1995. It is the fault of the government which has established one ejido on top of another. Political prisoners are being held and there have been confrontations where some have been injured. Also, they denounced the contamination caused by PEMEX.

Guatemala

A Guatemalan youth explains how the government in his country broke a promise after the pacification. They threatened them with a massacre at the hand of the ANTIMOTINES. There are 20 communities and they have been given ten days to leave the land. They are organizing.

Comachuen

In Michoacán there is an agrarian conflict between neighboring ejidos. There are threats and trickery on the part of the government.

France

The community El Arca de Lanza del Basto was founded by a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi 50 years ago. They participate in various struggles in Europe. The have been repressed also. “Peace, strength and happiness,” are their words of farewell.

Canada

An elderly indigenous male from British Columbia takes the microphone. He speaks to us. There they too fight for their land. Their original representatives were robbed of their power and then they were displaced from their land in 1875. In 1995 they were confronted by elite police forces from their country.

Atenco

One compañero from the Front of Peoples in Defense of the Earth explains what occurred in San Salvador Atenco in the first days of last May. He explains the situation of our compañeros, the political prisoners. “We continue onward. We need to unite ourselves all together, all the people of the world.”

Madrid

The collective Bajo el Asfalto Está la Huerta. They are a type of occupation, but those that took the land gather vegetables in a communal way and distribute the products in an equitable manner. They make their decisions in assemblies. They are reproducing their experience in other parts of Europe.

England

A man, young and thin, takes the stage. He brings pasamontañas but speaks Spanish, strongly accentuated. He says that he is from England and has good reason to cover his face. He explains how in his country, for reasons related to the next Olympics, they are displacing people from their homes.

The United States of America

A student collective, El Kilombo Intergaláctico. They explain how they grew with the Zapatista, Argentinean and U.S. leftist struggles, as that of the Black Panthers. They are people of color and they tell us how for them, to be people of color is to be marginalized. Hurricaine Katrina showed the disdain of their government for all those of color. They explain that NAFTA is not a conflict between producers in the north and the south, but between the small producers and the great agro-industrialists. They work in their local communities.

Jalisco

It is explained that there are new criminal laws that continue to displace the Mexican people from their territories. They warn of a new law initiated by Eduardo Sojo and Luis Télles that will affect Mexican coast.

South Central Farm

We are told of what has happened in Los Ángeles, California, with a social experiment called the South Central Farm. A large community of Los Angelinos produced organic vegetables in this garden. The mayor of the city, Antonio Villaraigosa, the first Mexican mayor, sold the garden property to Howards, which has interests regarding the company Wal-Mart. Then, the government unleashed an inhumane and brutal repression in July of 2006. 55 compañeros were arrested. The farm no longer exists. The compañeros continue to organize and are creating a new center.

Barcelona

The Assembly for the Right to Dignified Housing in Barcelona. With this association, the compañera and others work to defend homeowners that are being displaced due to economic interests of real estate companies. They hold protests and occupations. They help neighbors to defend themselves from the great infrastructural works of the government.

Comandante Abraham, who was the moderator for this table, advises that their time has completed. There were more participants, but it is eight o’clock at night. The meeting started at four o’clock in the afternoon. “He finished by saying “we must fight for the land. Zapata lives, the struggle continues.”

Originally published in Spanish January 11

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posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Chee Savish and Dancing Hawk Native Lifeways

2007-04-16T15:06:38Z

Chee Savish and Dancing Hawk Native Lifeways

The following are two groups that I think are very very valubale:

http://www.cheesiwash.net/

This is so so SKOOKUM (cool), I just stumbled across this site and its
exactly what I would like Cascadians to return to be. Take a look at
their recipes and basic ideas.

Chee Siwash
Portland Aboriginal Lifeways
http://www.cheesiwash.net/

The word "chee" is Chinook Wawa for "new" and "siwash" is Chinook Wawa
for "Indiginous Person" (meaning "American Indian") derrived from the
French word for "savage". Ok Chinook Jargon is not up to modern
Cascadian English political correctness standards, but I believe if we
can re-incorporate Chinook Wawa into our daily language we will end up
with a new synthesis of Chee Chinook or a very very distinct Cascadian
English.

__________

http://www.dancinghawk.com/

This is another site that seems to be connected with "Chee Siwash"

Dancing Hawk Native Lifeways
http://www.dancinghawk.com/

about the school

Dancing Hawk School of Simple Living is a school dedicated to
helping people learn to capture happiness, and live in tune with the
world around them. We are in the process of becoming a 501c(3) non-
profit institution.

Our primary focus is running native living programs and classes. We
have several different types of classes, from workshops a few hours
long to longer-term primitive projects.

Dancing Hawk also likes to bring the joy and wisdom found in the
wilderness to the greater community. We do outreach talks and events
both formal and festive.

Last, but not least, be sure to see the photos in our gallery.
Nothing tells the story of experience like our photos do.

Your wild guides, past and present: Kiliii Yu & Troy Julian
kiliii@dancinghawk. com

Kiliii has taught primitive skills and indigenous cultural teachings
at the Rabbitstick and Wintercount Rendezvous, the Falling Leaves
Rendezvous and Oberlin University. He has also spent time among the
Haida of the Northwest Coast, Aborigines of Central Australia, and
several indigenous peoples of Ecuador's highlands and rainforest. He
considers his mentors: Lynx Vilden, Jon Young, David Jagamarra, and
Margaret Matthewson.

Troy has been a longtime field instructor at the Outback (formerly
Walkabout) program in Salt Lake City as well as Outward Bound in
North Carolina. He has also taught at the Rabbitstick Rendezvous.

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

dragon mill farm in germany offers ethnobotanical/biology workshops

2007-03-05T19:49:23Z

Hello Sistes and Brothers,

we are inviting you/people from all over Europe and the World to come and help out on the Land.
Some might be willing to stay on and help,
with the guidance of good teachers: this might be helpful.

We would appreciate some teachers to come this spring to teach with us
permaculture classes working with the land of mother earth
to establish new gardens,
sustainable technology as well as sustainable/intentional community design:
by example practical agricultural skills, Ethnobotanic, Ethnobiology,
psychedelic paintings, yoga, meditation, community building, consensus decision making....

see more on :

www.dragonmill.net
http://people.tribe.net/dragonfamily

join and share .... http://tribes.tribe.net/permaculturetribe

This are some of our interests:

~learning about Herbs....botany, ethnobotanic~
-C.Raetsch,Wolf-Dieter Storl,Maria Treben,M.Pahlow,Fischer-Rizzi,
Joh.Künzle,Kosmos-Ident....

-Wild salates hmmm ( Fleischhauer Enzyklopädie AT... )-

-collecting and eating mushrooms...-
( Rose Marie Dähncke, J.Gartz....)

-Indian arabic cooking on fire or gas , with authentic cookbooks
(z.B.Adiraja Dasa,Yamuna Devi,...Jill Norman...).-

-In the kitchen you may find more ecologic spices then you probably know =)

-Juggling with and without fire ( ...i juggle with cigar boxes, clubs, balls...
... I'm looking forward to see you funnky freaks "year flipping and also beginners...
...come in and lets juggle .

-...fumigate in the workdays (C.Rätsch,Rizzi...)-

-Wau ! treehouses (.....Nelson and Larkin,David Pearson,"David and J. Stiles"...)-

-plants, birds, mushroom...identification courses directly in nature
...here we are mainly working with a large range of Kosmos-identification books -

-muck out the sheep and goat shed in winter and putting on 2 compost dung heaps after John Seymour or
Ida and Jean Pain, Stength from Heynitz...!!! done !!! :)

-Making more small fields for growing ( John Seymour , Maria Thun...) .-

-Permaculture care for the garden (B.Mollison...) -

-seeding, planting, cultivate and understanding of ethnobotanic plants
( C.Rätsch,Wolf-Dieter Storl,...)

-process already sawed cutted of branches to fire wood and pile it up.-
(For sure the next winter will come :!)

-Creating Benjian -hedges-

Hep Hop
Start of our Wwoof ,
be on the road (Auf der Walz),
...a seminare house for sleeping rooms travel kitchen…
(...formerly fieldstone brick house)
.... removing rubbish, planing, dreaming...doing...living :)
...a ruuu...we're really looking forward to see helping people,
yeah, come and lend a hand, it's gonna be a place also for you!

-Continue of work on the emerency roof for our shed anno 1840...carpenters are welcomed !-

-Winterproof compost loo
(Lorenz Ladener (very good german toilet book :))-

-outdoor shower ( heated , rainbow style )... so coming in this place... experienced folks-

-Bio-Meiler-

-a kinds of eco painting works
(schwedish red ,Cretaceous period oils...calabao style..)-

-Mason works-

-Stonecutter works-

-Wood- and forest works, planings-

-Preparation and making of a willow cathedral ['Weidendom']
(Marcel Kalberer/Micky Reman...).-

-weave willows and felting ( ...making nice things from wool... ) -

-creating a labyrinth (motivation from Jeff Saward)-

~sweat lodges, when ever we want~

-Trips and excursions to our ancestors, ....stone circle, hill graves [Hügelgräber] , lonely deep lakes,
1200 years old dragontreelady........-

-Bio-Animism-

..........

To Gaea

To Gaea, mother of all of life and oldest
of gods, I sing,
You who make and feed and guide all
creatures of the earth,
Those who move on your firm and radiant
land, those who wing
Your skies, those who swim your seas, to
all these you have given birth;
Mistress, from you come all our harvests,
our children, our night and day,
Yours the power to give us life, yours
to take away.

To you, who contain everything,

To Gaea, mother of all, I sing.

—Homeric Hymn to Earth

Dragonbrother Christian, Annahexe, lol, ....the Dragonmill and her Mothers Land.

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

food of the gods

2007-02-24T01:57:37Z

the Terrence Mckenna book

FOOD OF THE GODS
the search for the original tree of knowledge

is an epic journey through time and place
exploring local plants, herbs, trees, flowers growing things of all kinds,
McKenna theorizes that language evolution itself comes from the exploration with locally found mushrooms
which were in fact psilosybin,
what other evolutionalry gains might humanity have from experimentation with plants and herbs, and what does government control take away from this exploration, on a global level, if anything??

posted in Ethnobiology - 3 replies

a warning to all of you beautiful souls

2007-01-18T13:06:13Z

TRIBE AND THE DEA ARE MONITORING ALL OF THE DRUG RELATED POST, A FRIEND OF MINE JUST GOT BUSTED BECAUSE A TRIBE MEMBER POSTED HIS NAME AND ADDRESS WHICH TRIBE GAVE THE INFO TO THE DEA AND THE RAIDED HIS HOUSE.
THATNK GOD HE WASNT DOING WHAT THE GIRL HAD SAID BUT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE EYEING EVERYTHING
AND WILL NO HESITATE TO SEND THE AUTHORITIES YOUR WAY PLEASE BE ADVISED.....IM LOOKING OUT FOR YOU.... IF YOU WANT I HAVE OBTAINED A COPY OF THE PDF OF THE POST..AND THE COOL PEOPLE WHO TAGED HIM BECAUSE THE DIDNT LIKE HIM FOR NOT AGREEING ON SOMETHING, MAN HATERS LOOKING TO HURT THEY ARE.. THE DEFAMED HIM YET TRIBE KICKED HIM OFF AND NOT THEM, JUST TOOK DOWN THE POST.. SO IF ANY ONE WANTS THE PDF TRUTH JUST WRITE TO

me at quetzalbird@hotmail.com and I will have someone e-mail you the pdf copy with the truth. if tribe tosses me please spread the message around so everyone can take action against the truth of the 2 who still remain here and are trouble. thank you. please be advised this is not a joke.....

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Just for the record, "Brothers and Sisters of the Holy Root"

2006-11-26T20:02:00Z

Ayahuasca used for the divine purpose and in the sacred manner for which it was intended—and not as some drug sport or a night out on the woods in rural America—has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH RE-WIRING THE HUMAN ORGANISM. Just goes to show how shallow some of these die-hard "recreational drug professionals" can be, and the depths to which they sink to defame or injure others more experienced and spiritually elevated than themselves.

Where I come from, they call this being "Penny-wise and pound-foolish"—you know, not seeing the forest for the trees? In other words, spending too much time on the petty details and foolish rules and dogma, at the expense of the bigger picture. Just check out what happened in the story of Sir Lancelot and his Grail Quest if you are scratching your head in wonder. Here is a link to a film to consider here: http://www.amazon.com/Lancelot-Lake-Robert-Bresson/dp/B0001Y4LEG

But what would I know? I have only spent the last two and a half years of my own life in cleansing and purifying my mental, physical, emotional and spiritual bodies with several natural remedies and modalities, including Ayahuasca and Copaiba from the Peruvian and Brazilian rainforests. And if you think the topics I have posted recently are unrelated to the Journey of Madame Ayahuasca, then you, Dear Ones, have indeed missed the boat. But that too is quite all right and in divine right order of all things material; we each have our own path to follow. I am certain Madame Aya has spoken to you of this secret before; and if not, then I am sure Sir Terence McKenna can fill in all the blanks for you. After all, why do your own work when you can get someone else to do it for you. Isn't that the American Way, after all?

Truth is, Ayahuasca is intended to open up your Higher Channels and DNA Circuits so you can see more clearly for yourself the Realms that lie beyond this Material Plane, and no longer need to rely on the ignorance or misinformation of the Others each time you are asked to make a major decision or crucial choice in your life. Ask any reputable shaman in any corner of the Americas if you doubt my word. Do your own homework, and then ask yourselves why it is that a sincere Post about Reclaiming Your Personal Power and Authority should be so brutally attacked in such an "open-minded" topic forum. I don't see our generous Moderator coming after me with daggers, do you? Maybe because he understands the common threads that wind so beautifully and majestically through this life, and this elaborate Internet site. Maybe he has indeed been turned on to the magical gifts of Madame Ayahuasca and Chacruna, and not sunk into the bitter prejudice and judgmental antics like so many who here profess to be "enlightened" and "all-seeing", and who can do nothing more than spit out ignorant comments like venom each time someone challenges their current but limited paradigm or point of reference.

Ayahuasca can most certainly be a pathway to Personal Freedom and Empowerment, but only if you are mature enough and have the courage to set aside your own Ego long enough to stop talking and listen, and then to spend the time and energy it takes to "Connect all the Dots" between the mysteries you then become opened to. "But for the Grace of God go I..."

Such a short-sighted approach to individual and planetary awakening as I have read on this and other related Tribe sites—and the misuse of these sacred herbs and their related plant Spirits—proves once again how a little bit of knowledge can do more harm than good and can corrupt absolutely when care is not taken to have the faith to venture out of the safety of the Mind and into the Mystery and vulnerability of the Heart.

I am grateful to those who have messaged me in private about the off-colored comments of a “spoiled few.” I also appreciate the sincere interest of those Tribe members here who genuinely seek personal empowerment and awakening, and look forward to sharing more with you of my own experiences through private messages should the "synchronicity" of such an opportunity avail itself. Until then, Espavo and Selah.

Craig

P.S. For those interested, my posts are also available on my personal Tribe Blog Site:
http://people.tribe.net/6eb0faaf-4182-4b03-861d-3191b1d4c3b0/blog

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

sambucus

2006-10-07T21:04:41Z

i know this sounds silly
since elderberry is all over california
probably every wilderness i've ever camped at
and other places i've lived,
but now i live in marin
my life is busier, i'm not taking many trips
and on all of my short exploratory hikes in the area
i cannot find any elderberries
my bottle of tincture is almost empty
it must be that time of year...
do any of you plant people live in marin?
my apothecary would be incomplete without it,
i use it tons!!!
much thanks...

posted in Ethnobiology - 7 replies

honey mushrooms

2006-10-07T20:33:22Z

Im wondering how honey mushrooms are used for medicine?

posted in Ethnobiology - 5 replies

any botanists here?

2006-10-06T03:14:55Z

i'd like to know the difference between angelicas (the genus) and ligusticum (the genus). they're all in the umbel family, right?

posted in Ethnobiology - 11 replies

Ecovillage & Permaculture Certificate Programs

2006-09-15T18:54:47Z

Ecovillage and Permaculture Certificate Programs
Fall: October 2-27, 2006
Winter: November 27- December 11, 2006
Summer: June 18 - August 10, 2007

In addition to a full permaculture design certificate course, this dynamic residential program provides a holistic introduction to social permaculture, ecovillage design and implementation. Most Universities offer students upper division credit, through program participation. We also have a Permaculture for Kids Summer Day Camp available for students with children.

Subjects include:
Organic Agriculture: Understanding soil composition, watersheds, swales, water catchment, and conservation, biological control agents, native plant guilds, annual, biennial, and perennial cycles, and other natural rhythms, patterns and biological relationships.

Natural Building: Looking at international design and selecting appropriate models to suit a given climate, we work with cob, straw bale, earthships, living roofs, passive solar and other techniques.

Appropriate Technology and Renewable Energy: Designing to maximize efficiency through energy conservation and retention. We explore passive and active solar, micro-hydro, wind, bio-diesel, rainwater catchment, and grey water systems.

Eco forestry: Harvesting food, energy, and medicine, while restoring damaged forest lands and monocrop tree plantations to diverse and productive systems.

Site Analysis & Design: Working with raw, developed, and semi-developed land to create home, garden, and village infrastructures, in harmony with the surrounding environment. Overview of zoning, permits and land-use laws.

Social Permaculture: Learning through dynamic personal growth workshops, communication skills, consensus and other decision making processes.

Community Living: Exploring Ecovillage economics, employment, education, self-government, health and wellbeing, and many other aspects of day-to-day life in community.

Instructors and Presenters include:
*Rick Valley, International permaculture instructor, nursery operator, Lost Valley Land Steward.
*Tree Bressen, Group facilitator, consensus trainer, founding member of Eugene's Walnut St. Coop.
*Mark Lakeman, Founder of City Repair, Co-Organizer of Portland's Village Builder Convergence.
*Toby Hemenway, Author Gaia's Garden, former editor of Permaculture Activist.
*Rob Bolman, Founder of Maitreya Ecovillage, Co-Organizer of NW Permaculture Gathering.
*Marc Tobin, Masters in Community and Regional Planning, Lost Valley EPCP coordinator.
*Jude Hobbs, Associate with Agro-Ecology, landscape designer, small farm consultant.
*Joshua Smith, Ecological landscape designer, eco-forester, author of Botanical Treasures of the West.

Held at Lost Valley Educational Center, an intentional community, non-profit educational center, and nature sanctuary dedicated to learning, living, and teaching sustainable, ecologically-based culture located outside Eugene, Oregon.

See: www.lostvalley.org/epcp for details!

Nathaniel N-T
events@lostvalley.org
(541) 937-3351 * 112

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

TWO Questions: Tepezcohuite/Tepezcohuite? Suggestions for really good herbal healing schools?

2006-08-30T19:19:51Z

Does any one know about Tepezcohuite/Tepezcohuite?
I'm in Mexico and have purchased the raw bark which i made into an iffusion and had my friend who is plagued with psorias/escema , bathe in, and also apply the pomade directly to the blisters? iit worked for her.
She suggested i give some to my mom, who is healing for cancer, yes, they removed all of it but she has one spotwhich iis not cancerous, but because of the location, is still sore, it heals, forms a scab, drya and breaks open again.
Has anyonje used it for ulcerative sores?
I purchased the bark iin powder form yesterday and when feedback......

Suggestions for really good herbal healing schools?
I am very interested in delving into to this area?

Thanks for all your loving rsposnses.
peace,
v

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Mexican Herbs: Pregancy & Childbirth

2006-08-21T02:41:07Z

Blessings to you all...

My name's Femi. I am a Yoruba priest in the SF Bay Area. Part of my practice is herbal medicine. I am on my way back to Veracruz, Mexico to collect medicinal plants and products from midwives and shamen.

If you, or someone you know is interested in traditional Mexican herbs/herbal products associated with pregnancy or childbirth, please contact me ASAP and I will happily acquire them for you. I also have access to traditional West African herbal medicines. In any case, may it be well with you.

Femi
510-485-2336
YorubaSchool@yahoo.com
www.geocities.com/yorubaschool

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Need Yours Help!

2006-08-08T13:39:44Z

I looking for the following plant:

Guarana (Paullinia cupana)

Can anyone help with plants or Fresh seeds?

Thanks!

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Washington, DC

2006-03-30T12:18:08Z

Still seeking spiritual-minded individuals in the tri-state DC area (DC, MD & VA) for friendships, maybe even more. Specifically comrade pal(s) who can serve as sitter during Shamanic journeys – and visa versa. Possibly to include long walks, chats over coffee, dual-meditations, movies together, etc. I enjoy living in two or more worlds, and would love to share the experience with other folks sometimes!

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Bay area mushroom hunt 3/25

2006-03-24T09:15:01Z

On Saturday 3/25 at 1pm a mushroom identification hike will leave from the los trancos open space preserve, in Palo Alto, CA.

Everyone is invited to scour the woods in search of all kinds of mushrooms.

You will probably learn to identify:

* Golden Chanterelles
* Black Chanterelles
* Candy Caps
* Blewits
* Psilocybe cyanescens (from the book only, per uncle sam's recommendation)
* Hedgehog mushrooms
* Bears Head
* Oyster mushrooms

and other interesting and useful plants and mushrooms which grow deep in the woods surrounding the bay area.

We will meet at 1pm at this park, in the parking lot on the north side of page mill road (on your right if you are coming from 280):

http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_los_trancos.asp

Located at +37.1933 -122.1045, a google map of the exact meeting point is here:

http://www.google.com/lochp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=37.326033333,%20-122.179372222%20(Los%20Trancos%20Open%20Space%20Preserve)%20

Also check out the google hybrid map and directions below.

We will leave this location at 1:15 pm, so don't be later than that. If you are later, show up anyway and look for a group of people in the woods along the fault trail.

There will be a few miles of off trail hiking on steep hillsides, so don't wear any clothing you don't mind getting dirty.

Dress kind of warm. Bring some water, maybe a little food, and a backpack.

The hike will go until it gets dark, though late comers and early leavers are welcomed.

It has been raining for a couple weeks, and I have recently verified that there are plenty of mushrooms in these woods. But the rainy season is almost over and this is probably the last big mushroom hunt until October.

Directions:

Take I-280 to Page Mill Road. Go west on Page Mill Road for 7 miles. Los Trancos Open Space Preserve will be located on the right across from the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. The mushroom hunt will meet in the parking lot on the right (north) side. Parking is available for 20 vehicles. Additional parking and restroom facilities are available at the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve parking.

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Thyroid issues - natural treatments

2006-03-20T15:55:09Z

I'm curious to learn more about NATURAL treatments for Hypothyroidism & Hyperthyroidism. My family tends to lean more towards the hypo - thyroid problem than the hyper.

I looked around for an already existing thread & gave up so if they exist please share the links.

What are some good foods, Herbs etc, that one could add into their diet to aid proper thyroid function?

Here are a few websites on the topic but I can't vouche for them.

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=528

http://www.nativeremedies.com/thyroid-assist-treatment-hypothyroidism.shtml

http://healingdeva.com/thyroid_weight.htm - I guess there's a book titled "IS YOUR THYROID MAKING YOU FAT?"

http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/s11.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=natural+Treatment+of+Hypothyroidism&btnG=Google+Search

;

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

Treehouse

2006-02-13T08:14:23Z

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060116/treehouse_tec.html?source=rss

http://www.archinode.com/Arch9fab.html

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

Ayurvedic Healing Herbs and “The Most Socially Responsible Business”

2006-02-02T11:13:44Z

Dear Fellow Ethnobiologists,

I would Love to have your help. In 1990 I started an herb company in India that has since grown to be the largest supplier of sustainable certified organic & biodynamic Ayurvedic herbs and supports over 100,000 people. Recently we won the award for the “Most Socially Responsible Company” in the entire Natural Products Industry. It is all about Market Driven Sustainability so without you, the consumer, the health professional, the herbalist, the store clerk, etc, it is impossible to sustain sustainability. You are the Market so your dollars determine what survives in this world. We are doing really good work. Please support us by supporting yourself, your friends, family and clients with really wonderful, powerful, potent and pure herbs. Below is a longer description and under that is a list of some of the herbs and prices. Thanks so much for your help. Thanks so much!

Prashanti
prashanti@igc.org
415.663.5441
Please use this number or email to communicate with me if possible as tribe.net is so slow.

Here is a partial list of many of the herbs that we grow and wildcraft. It is all sustainable and all Certified Organic by either SGS (Swiss) or SKAL (Dutch). Many of the herbs are also Certified Biodynamic (Demeter-German). Where Organics is about purity, Biodynamics and the ancient Vedic techniques we use are all about power and potency. We also have ISO 9002 and GMP certifications which are certifications in manufacturing and processing precise accountability and we are much more fair trade than the ‘Fair Trade’ certifiers require. Our Vision is to not only supply the highest quality herbs but to also to create financial, cultural and environmental sustainability in the world and specifically in rural India. As one of the largest Organic Herb companies in the world we have converted over 2000 farms to Certified Organic, snatching them away from the fangs of Monsanto, and have trained over 25,000 tribal people to sustainably wildcraft in the mountains of Northern India and the Jungles of Central India. All told we support about 100,000 people in India, a number which grows at least 20% per year. It is such a huge honor to serve so many people and gives me incredible deep joy to see the smiles on their grateful faces as the health and strength of themselves, their children, their animals and their land increases by the month.

Included is picture of myself with rural village women in India plucking the Tulsi leaves used to make our Tulsi Tea. These women come from extremely low income families or are living on their own. The typical work that they get is usually very strenuous, stressful, demeaning and difficult. Working for us in a shady mango orchard plucking an anti-stress healing herb like Tulsi, an herb that they consider sacred, and earning more than 100 Rs per day, is a dream job for them. In just this one aspect of our business, the Tulsi harvest in the fields of Azamgarh, we employ 1000 women everyday for four months straight. More than just a healthy job it gives them the community of each other.

Another example of supporting challenged farmers is that we actively seek out and support women who farm alone due to the death, delinquency or disappearance of their husbands. Just as dilapidated old houses are completely restored and renovated in gentrified neighborhoods, so these women's farms, soil, techniques, profits, health, well-being, and well-being of their children are radically improved when we have the pleasure of working with them.

Since there are few adequate schools in most of rural India, we have also started and funded the ‘Organic India Foundation,’ dedicated to building schools and providing the highest quality education to the children of our farms, eventually a better education than available in most metropolitan cities. In November of 2005, at a festival celebrating our Autumn harvest, Amar Singh, an eminent member of the Indian National Parliament was so deeply moved by what we have accomplished that he spontaneously gave out of his own pocket 50 lakh Rupess, equivalent to $125,000, to the foundation. ‘Seeing is believing’ as they say and he was obviously impressed with what he experienced.

Though I started this 15 years ago, only recently the work we have been doing for many years was recognized on a large scale in America when we were voted the Most Socially Responsible Business of 2005 in the entire Natural Products Industry which is composed of about 20,000 companies. To me this is like winning the Nobel Prize.

Coming out of such a beautiful socially responsible and sustainable context, I can offer you a line of well tested and effective bottled encapsulated formulas for dozens of indications, from Men's and Women's tonics to Liver/Kidney care, Diabetes support, Lung health, Intestinal cleansing and many more. One of our main Teas that we produce is based on the aforementioned herb Tulsi, which is an anti-stress adaptogen, immune system stimulant, as well as being wonderful for the mind and spirit.

To assure you of our credibility, we are well established in the International market and sell by the ton to dozens of the largest herb/tea/supplement companies in the USA and in Europe. If you are connected to a larger business I can sell bulk herbs and foods by the ton, or we can 'private label' for you and give you bottles of capsulated herbs and/or boxes of Tea. But just because we sell by the ton does not mean I don’t appreciate every single bottle sold, I really do. It is one form of social activism as the more healing herbs are used the more balance there will be on the individual, then on the familial, then on the community and finally on the entire Society.

As you can see, working with us supports an inner and outer world of sustainability.

If there is something not included here we can grow it, create it, or possibly source it for you. I have 15 years experience as an herbalist and Ayurvedic/Vedic health practitioner and am happy to use my expertise to help you determine which herbs are best for your constitution and health needs.

If you are a professional and/or represent a community house, a store, clinic or spa, and you need a discount in order to resell the herbs, you can get 40% off the bottled encapsulated herb supplements and the pound packages and 30% off the price of teas if you order $100 or more, mix and match. Below are all the prices. I am not too strict on that minimum and if you are not a professional but actually go through a lot of herbs we can work something out.

~Please keep this posting around for future use
~Please forward it to anybody you know: family, friends, professionals, lists, etc
~Feel free to see me for a consultation at a huge discount
~Feel free to call me for any clarification needed or for a free mini-consultation
~Please stay in touch for Classes I will be teaching
~Let me know if you want to get my Ayurvedic eNewsletter
~In a few months I will do a clinical trial on Turmeric and I need 1000 of you!

Note that everything here is certified Organic, except the sandalwood, but that is wild cultivated responsibly in Australia and is a gorgeous alternative to the non-sustainable Sandalwood from India.

TULSI TEA (coughs, colds, flu, immunity, adaptogen, anti-stress, anti-inflammatory)
Original Tulsi Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Chai Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Darjeeling Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Ginger Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Gotu Kola Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Green Tea - 25 bags per box 5.00
Tulsi Tea Collection Sampler - 25 bags per box 5.00

HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS (Glass bottles, Veggie caps)
Ashwagandha root - 108 capsules 15.95 Warming deep core energy tonic
Flexibility Formula - 108 capsules 15.95 Joint health, deep tissue cleansing
Gotu Kola Formula - 108 capsules 15.95 Mind, circulation, Liver
Neem leaf, twig & flowers - 108 capsules 15.95 Antibiotic, Skin, Liver, Blood cleaner
Shatavri root - 108 capsules 15.95 Cooling deep core energy tonic
Triphala Formula - 108 capsules 13.95 Colon cleanse and tridoshic rejuvanation
Tulsi (Holy Basil) - 108 capsules 15.95 as above
Turmeric Formula - 108 capsules 15.95 Anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, skin, etc.
Certifed Organic Psyllium 12 oz. Can 7.99 Have you ever seen Organic Psyllium?

POUND PACKAGES (65 gauge food grade plastic and nitrogen flushed)
Amalaki fruit pulp - powdered (Emblica officinalis) 16.00
Ashwagandha root - powdered (Withania somnifera) 20.00
Ginger root (Sonth) - powdered (Zingiber officinale) 14.00
Krishna Tulsi leaf - tea cut (Ocimum sanctum) 22.00
Rama Tulsi leaf - tea cut (Ocimum sanctum) 22.00
Vana Tulsi leaf - tea cut (Ocimum gratissimum) 22.00
Neem leaf- powdered (Azadirachta indica) 22.00
Turmeric rhizome (Haldi) - powdered (Curcuma longa) 12.00
Original Tulsi Tea Mix - tea cut (Ocimum sanctum & gratissimum) 22.00
Triphala Formula - powdered 16.00
Shatavri root - powdered (Asparagus racemosus) 20.00
Sandalwood - powdered 1lb (Santalum spicatum) 30.00
Sandalwood - powdered 1/2lb (Santalum spicatum) 15.00

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

Prashanti de Jager

prashanti@igc.org
Home/Office 415.663.5441
Cell 415.246.1248

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Permaculture/Bio-dynamics In Costa Rica!

2006-01-04T01:57:35Z

CHECK OUT THIS COURSE!! IT REALLY IS INCREDIBLE. LEARN ABOUT PERMACULTURE AND BIODYNAMICS WHILE ACTAULLY SEEING MANY MICRO INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESS SPROUTING. CHECK OUT WWW.PUNTAMONA.ORG ITS STARTS SOON!

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

fluoride?

2005-12-12T08:17:44Z

So I just came from the dentist and I have a lot of white spots on my molars. The dentist says this is from a lack of fluoride. Don't know if he knows what's up about fluoride being a poison, but what to do then to get rid of the spots if fluoride is not the key? I live in SF and we have a very good filter on our kitchen tap. And I eat very healthy, mostly raw greens.

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

New Tribe: "Botanical Conservation and Research"

2005-12-04T21:18:04Z

Hi, check out this new tribe if you are interested in protecting plant biodiversity, participate in rare plant propagation or restoration, scientific research, or grassroots conservation efforts.

Thanks,

Cynorkis

-----------------------------------------------------------
Botanical Conservation and Research

This is a forum for individuals interested in understanding and protecting the Earth's botanical diversity. Discuss scientific research, conservation efforts or organizations, rare plant or ecosystem restoration, systematics, funding resources, conferences, and academic institutions.

Keywords: Botany, plants, mycology, bryology, ecology, conservation biology, evolution, horticulture, flowers, pollination, seeds, soil, forests, wetlands, deserts, montane, tropical, temperate, earth.

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

Favorite Local Vegetable

2005-11-26T18:15:55Z

Dear Wild Munchers,

Had some wapato roasted on coals at the opening of the longhouse on the Richfield Wildlife Refuge, north of Vancouver Washington.

Very yummy and like a cross between potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes (a sunflower variety).

The presenter/cook had written her thesis on wapato.

Good hunting,
Suzan

posted in Ethnobiology - 8 replies

Society of Ethnobiology 29th Annual Conference

2005-10-23T18:25:51Z

The dates will be March 8-11, 2006.
The location with be The Pennsylvania State University
in University Park, PA.

Further information will be posted at: http://ethnobiology.org/2006/

What is the Ethnobiology Conference?

The annual Ethnobiology Conference brings together people from an extraordinarily rich variety of backgrounds, disciplines, and geographic locations, all seeking to understand the myriad interactions of human cultures with plants and animals, past and present, worldwide. It attracts academics, students, museum staff, government and non-governmental agency personnel, interested laypeople, and Native/indigenous community members. Relevant fields go from Anthropology to Zoology: animal husbandry, agriculture, archaeology, botany, chemistry, cuisine, ecology, education, ethnology, evolution, forestry, linguistics, mycology, nutrition, pharmacology, taxonomy, and much more. Participants come from around the globe—the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Britain, Europe, China, Indian, Australia, Southeast Asia—to enjoy what for most is the most exciting and energizing conference they attend all year.

Sponsored by the non-profit Society of Ethnobiology, the conference is held in the spring, in a different location each year. Meetings are usually hosted by university campuses or museums in the United States, although they have been held twice in Mexico and once in Canada. The conference begins with an evening reception and registration followed by two days of invited and contributed papers, poster presentations, and many opportunities for discussion during and between sessions. Oral presentations, lasting 15 minutes with time for questions, are scheduled in both plenary and concurrent sessions.

In addition to the formal papers, demonstrations of traditional cultural arts with an ethnobiological flavor have included basketmaking, acorn cooking, agave roasting, fiberwork, wood carving, making musical instruments, spinning wild silk, and more. The conference culminates with a Friday evening banquet, usually featuring local indigenous foods, a keynote speaker, and native music and dance traditions of the region. On Saturday the conference is followed by various optional field trips to sites of cultural and biological interest.

The number of people attending varies from year to year, usually from 150 to 250 but sometimes over 400. The relatively intimate size of the Ethnobiology Conference encourages participants to get to know one another and discuss their research and other mutual interests in depth.

More than 100 California Native people attended the 27th Annual Ethnobiology Conference in 2004, a level of indigenous participation unprecedented in the Society's 28-year history. Scholarship support for Native people to participate in the 2006 Ethnobiology Conference is being sought from The Christensen Fund, with the goal of building and sustaining relationships between Native people and academic researchers, promoting creative solutions to environmental management issues and preservation of biocultural diversity for the future.

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Natural Medicine Plant Specialist Opportunity

2005-09-21T21:43:59Z

I haven't posted to this tribe yet but I just received this from a list I'm on. It seems like a great opportunity, please pass it on to anyone who might be interested.

We currently have one (1) opening for FarmServe Africa for Natural
Medicine Plant and Product Specialist, for this Fall 2005. This 3-week
assignment would take you to Ghana, West Africa to teach farmers about the
medicinal value of select plants and herbs, processing plants and herbs
to make medicine, and identifying alternatives to expensive and
orthodox medicine when a natural equivalent is locally available. Emphasis
will be on teaching the correct dosage and contraindications of certain
plants and mixtures of plants. Your work would enable a now informal
group of traditional healers to formalize their efforts and become a
legitimate and respected association, who would offer natural products at a
cost savings to local population over the conventional medicine.

All expenses are paid except for your time. You will be well cared for
and guided during your stay. This is a USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program
led by OIC International. OIC International works primarily in Africa
and has as its mission to help others help themselves through
sustainable and practical training. Agriculture is just one of the many topics
we are involved with. This assignment would take you to northern
Ghana.

Natural medicine has some of its oldest forms in Africa, but with
imports of pharmaceutical products and a sometimes blind admiration for
imported products, the locally available products are often perceived as
inferior in quality. With your assistance we can raise the level of
awareness and respect for what is locally available. Products might include
for example:

Salves
Aromatherapy
Tinctures
Herbal and plant-based tea
Capsules for natural medicine (ginger, garlic)

If you or someone you know is a Natural Medicine Plant and Product
Specialist (and I know there are lots of you out there!) who would be able
to teach on a very basic level production, processing, packaging and
dosage of natural medicine products, please contact me immediately. And
how to do this in a sustainable way without fancy and expensive
equipment?

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you to discuss in more
detail.

Michelle Frain Muldoon

Agriculture Programs Director

OIC International, US-Headquarters

Tel.+1-215-842-0220 x 118

Tel. (second) +1-215-842-0860

Fax. +1-215-849-7033

Fax. (second) +1-215-842-3740

Email: mfrain@oici.org

Website: www.oicinternational.org

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

gotu kola?

2005-01-23T16:05:49Z

I've really enjoyed growing and eating gotu kola (Centella/Hydrocotyle asiatica) for the better part of the last decade. This last year I brought it in too late though (from the cold and dark under the trees here) and it seems to have died although it may come back. In general it grows great in a pot by a med. lit window. To spread it I just cover the nodes (where the leaves grow from) on the long hanging tendils in a pot next to one it's growing from. After the buried nodes start to grow well they can be cut from the mother plant (this one kind of layering propagation).
When I eat 3-6 leaves fresh I feel calm and focusing becomes enhanced. The roots are more active but don't regenerate as fast. Studies on the fresh plant show it helps kids concentrate. Of course traditionally it also aids meditation and creativity, and is one of the 2 'brahmis' of India (the other I've grown but is harder to find, Herpestis/Bacopa monierra). They are named this after the Hindu Creator diety Brahma. I've noticed when I eat it my skin starts to glow after a couple of weeks. It's used for skin diseases and is considerd rejuvenative. It's somewhat famous for it's effect on connective tissue. I've seen it's used in China as well as India for 'cooling' (meaning it's anti-inflammatory), helping liver function (like from toxicities or hepatitis) and for the lungs as well as enhancing hair growth. It's used externally in salves for healing wounds and in Indian hair oils (it's said to be calming and help the brain as well as the hair through the scalp). It grows in many of the the States although I haven't seen it. It likes marshes (so watch water quality) but it's best to see it flowering (it has tiny inconspicuous Apiaceous -carrot like- flowers) so as not to confuse it with some types of Ranunculus which have similar leaves and grow in the same places but are toxic. I've also seen that it's used as a food in some parts of SE Asia, (pennywort is a common name) although using too much at one time can cause a weird dull headache. Other species used are H. roundifolia, H. javanica and H. sibthorpioides. I'm curious if anyone has any special uses or stories around it, as it's such an easy to grow,
yummy (tastes like slightly salty carrot to me) and useful plant.

posted in Ethnobiology - 9 replies

upcoming ethnobiology conference

2005-01-04T20:12:35Z

» NEWS FLASH «

the 28th Annual Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology
will be held May 11-14, 2005. the location will be the
University of Alaska Anchorage. i'll post more detailed
information when it becomes available. the higher cost
of air transportation will be offset by the lower cost of lodging --
on campus. hope to see you there!

http://ethnobiology.org

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

Landscapes and Peoples: Linking the Past and the Present Linking the Past and the Present

2005-01-04T20:03:19Z

Society of Ethnobiology
28th Annual Conference

University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
May 11-14, 2005

Landscapes and Peoples:
Linking the Past and the Present

Discussions will include:

• Indigenous and academic perspectives on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

• Indigenous and Western perspectives on resource management and the conservation of biocultural diversity: understanding differences, integrating understanding

• Valuing wildlife: subsistence, economy, and spirituality

• The latest research findings in all aspects of ethnobiology

We want especially to solicit and encourage papers and symposia on people and animals from the perspectives of TEK, ethnozoology, and zooarchaeology, but all subdisciplines are welcome.

Field trips are planned to visit the Seward Sealife Center and observe whales, sea lions, sea otters, sea birds, and archaeological sites in Resurrection and Aialik Bays, Kenai Fjords National Park, and to visit the Musk Ox Farm and Old Knik Archaeological Site in Palmer/Wasilla, Alaska.

Banquet will be held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Tours of Portage Glacier will also be available.

For further information, please contact: David R. Yesner, Department of Anthropology,
University of Alaska, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508
Tel. (907) 786-6845; Fax (907) 786-6850

or 2005@ethnobiology.org

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

ho ho ho

2004-12-17T22:40:07Z

ho ho ho and a stocking full of herbs, evryone have their holly and mistletoe a decking you halls, how about the wassail bowl or the yule log, well where ever you are and how ever you celebrate the solstice, good vibes too all

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

new member says hello

2004-09-17T20:25:53Z

hey there, new to tribe.net, just wanted to take a moment to say hello to one and all
i live in vancouver, bc, anyone else from the area?
i have been interested in shamanism for quite some time, in its many forms and approaches
i feel a strong connection and need to communicate with our wondrous earths plant life, i am sure they have much to teach
i have dreamt of ayahuasca on my own but have never been able to get deep into the dream, i am also very interested in the teaching of salvia, mushrooms, and many more
i was wondering if anyone can help or recommend teachers in my area

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Solanum quitoense

2004-09-07T05:33:00Z

I have seeds of this from Ecuador where they call it Naranjilla. Two are growing in my yard in So. Cal. (so different than the cloud forest!) and I wonder if anyone knows anything about how/when they fruit, if they are annuals or perennials? Please share! I'll send you some seed!
Joan

posted in Ethnobiology - 10 replies

las vegas the desert has.....what?

2004-08-16T05:13:22Z

well I just moved from the lush eugene oregon to the commercial desert area of las vegas. I was starting to familiarize myself with someone the more commonly used herbs there but now that I'm in vegas i don't know where to find a apothecary nor what local plants/herbs are edible and medicinal. does anyone know of some local plants in this desert area that I can forage i.e. joshua tree?

posted in Ethnobiology - 5 replies

Phyllomedusa bicolor

2004-05-18T20:05:38Z

Making Magic
By Peter Gorman

from OMNI July 1993

The night air in the backwater lowlands of the Peruvian Amazon was thick with the incessant buzzing of insects. Overhead bats flew, their shapes silhoutted by a half moon rising behind the forest across the Rio Lobo. Though the rainy season had begun, the river was still near the low point of the year, and great gnarled tree trunks, swept from the banks during the last flood season, stood out against the water like monstrous sculptures in the pale light. From beyond the jungle clearing of the tiny Matses Indian puebla of San Juan came the howling of a distant band of monkeys and the melancholy cry of the pheasant-like paujil.

In the camp, a handful of Matses children played our flashlights into the village trees, while their fathers combed the branches and nearby brush, hunting for a dow-kietl, the frog that secretes sapo, a vital element in the Matses pharmacopoeia. (Although the word sapo means "toad" in Spanish, the extract comes from a frog) The Matses limited command of Spanish doesn't draw a distinction between the two.) The men imitated the frog's mating call, a low, guttural bark, as they moved, and the women nearby giggled at the sound. I was suprised that the dow-kiet!s didn't respond.

The Matses are a small, seminomadic, hunting-gathering tribe who live in the remote jungle along the Rio Yavari, on the border of Peru and Brazil. Unlike other tribes in the region, they possess only rudimentary weaving and ceramics skills, they have no formal religion, no ceremony or dance, and they produce nothing for trade. What they do is hunt - with bows and arrows, spears, clubs, and occasionally shotguns when they can get shells. Theirs is the harsh world of the lowland forests and swamps, a world where malaria, yellow fever, and venomous snakes keep mortality rates high. To survive, the matses have become masters of the natural history of the flora and fauna of the region.

They know the habits and cycles of the animals that share their land, they've studied the plant life that surrounds them, and they've learned to see the jungle as their ally. For the Matses the earth is a benevolent ti-ta, or mother, who provides for all their needs. Neighboring tribes say the Matses can move like the wind and talk with the animals. They say the Matses know the jungle's secrets. Sapo is one of them.

I had come to Peru to collect dow-kiet! Specimens for researchers at the American Museum of Natural History, for whom I've collected Matses artifacts - mostly throwaway things like used leaf baskets and broken arrows - and the Fidia Research Institute for the Neurosciences in Rome. My reports on the uses of sapo had sparked interest and curiosity among scientists who were eager to see a specimen of the frog that produces the unusual material, in part because of the extraodinary experience it produced in me and in part because of my description of it's myriad of uses. I was eager to see the dow-kiet! As well, because although I'd seen sapo used and had myself, I had never actually seen the frog that produces it.

That Western science look an interest in sapo is encouraging: Until recently, most researchers have dismissed the natural medicines of indigenous groups like the Matses. Fortunately, that attitute is changing, but with the loss of an average of one tribe a year in Amazonia alone - to acculturation, disease, or loss of their forest homes - the plant and animal medicines of these peoples are disappearing faster than they can be studied.

The Matses are one of the tribes currently at risk. During the eight years I've been visiting their camps, both missionary and military contact have been steadily increasing, and they're quickly acculturating to a new lifestyle. Camps that planted no more than two or three crops to supplement their diet of game and wild foods just a few years ago now plant a dozen or more. And where most Matses had only a handful of manufactured things when I first met them - some clothing, a few metal pots, a machete, and perhaps and old shotgun - in some caps the men now work for loggers, and the sound of chain saws fills the air. At San Juan, the most accessible camp on the Lobo, most of the Matses not only have new Western clothing, they have begun to refer to Matses who live deep in the jungle as animales.

This is a very different group from the first Matses I ran into in 1984. It was my second trip to Peruvian Amazonia - I'd fallen in love with the jungle on my first trip - and I was studying food gathering and plant identification with my guide, Moises, a former military man who specialized in jungle survival. We had been working on a small river called the Auchyako for about a week when we ran into local hunters who said they had seen signs that a family of Matses had moved into the area. Moises, excited by the news, said we should make an attempt to meet them.

I was easily sold on the idea: so, hoping they would make contact, we hiked three days into the jungle and made a camp. Two days later, a young Matses hunter carrying a bow and arrows, his mouth tattooed and his face adorned with what looked like cat whiskers, came into our camp and borrowed our gun.

When he returned later in the day, he was carrying two large wounded monkeys in palm-leaf baskets he carried from his forehead with templines. Clinging to his hair was a baby monkey the offspring of one of the adults. The hunter returned our gun, left one of the monkeys, and then disappeared into to forest. We followed him back to his camp and watched from a distance as he gave the remaining adult to a women who began to roast it over an open fire, oblivious to its cries. The baby monkey he brought to a young woman who was nursing a child of her own. Without hesitation, she took the monkey and allowed it to nurse at her free breast.

Those dual images represented a combination of cruelty and compassion I'd never imagined and taught me more about the reaslity of the jungle than anything I had previosuly experienced. More than that, those images compelled me to return to the Matses again and again.

I first met Pablo in 1986 on my third trip to the Amazon. Moises and I had flown over the dense Peruvian jungle from Iquitos to the Rio Lobo, borrowed a small boat, and made our way to his camp. Pablo was Moises closest friend among the Matses, an adept hunter who fiercely resisted acculturation. The villiage, several days upriver and much more remote than San Juan, was home to Pablo, his four wives, their 22 children, and his brother Alberto, who had two wives and six children. Each wife had her own hut, so there were several in the puebla. When we arrived, we were invited to climb the steep and muddy riverbank to the Puebla. There, Pablo's main wife, Ma Shu, served us a meal of cold roast sloth and yucca.

After dinner, Pablo produced an old brown beer bottle and a hollow reed tube. From the bottle he poured a find green powder into his hand and worked it into one end of the tube. Alberto put the other end of the tube to his nose and Pablo blew the powder into his nostrils. They repeated the process several times. Moises explained that the powder was nu-nu and that Matses hunters used it to have visions

of where to hunt. He said that after the visions they would go to the place they had seen and wait for the animals in the vision to appear. I told Moises he was dreaming, but he insisted that was what happened and pressed Pablo to give me some. A few minutes later, the tube was put to my nose. When The nu-nu hit, it seemed to explode inside my face. It burnt my nose and I began to choke up a wretched green phlegm. But the pain quickly subsided and I closed my eyes. Out of the blackness I began to have visions of animals--tapir, monkey, wild boar--that I saw more clearly than my limited experience with them should have allowed. Then suddenly the boars stampeded in front of me. As I watched them thunder past my field of vision, several began to fall. Moments later, the visions faded, and a pleasant spit of drunkenness washed over me.

Moises asked what I saw and whether I recognized the place where the vision happened. I told him it looked like the place where we'd eaten lunch earlier in the day. He asked what time it was in the vision, and I told him that the sun was shining but mist still hung from the trees. He put the time between 7 and 8 a.m. Despite my suspicion that I'd' invented the entire vision, Moises told the Matses what I'd seen.

At dawn the next morning, several of us piled into our boat and headed toward the spot I'd described. As we neared it, I was astounded to hear the thunderous roar of dozens of boars charging across the river in front of us. We jumped out of the boat and chased them. Several ran into a hollow log and Pablo and Alberto blocked the ends with thick branches while me others made nooses out of vines. Holes were cut Into the top of the log with a machete, the nooses slipped through them, and the boars strangled. We returned with seven boars. enough meat for the entire village for four days.

Improbable as it seemed, the scene was close enough to what I'd described that there was no denying the veracity of the vision I later asked how nu-nu worked, and Pablo explained--in a mix of hand signals, Matses, and pigeon Spanish--that nu-nu put you in touch with the animals. He said the animals' spirits also see the visions and know what awaits them. The morning after the hunt, I was with Pablo, sitting on the bark floor of Ma Shu's hut, pointing to things and asking what the Matses words for them were. I made notes, writing down the phonetic spelling of things like bow, arrow, spear, and hammock. Pablo was utterly bored with the exercise until I pointed to a small leaf bag that hung over a cooking fire 'Sapo." he said, his eyes brightening.

From The bag he pulled a piece of split bamboo, roughly the size and shape of a doctor's tongue depressor. It was covered with what looked like a thick coat of aging varnish. "Sapo." He repeated, scraping a little of the material from the stick and mixing it with saliva. When he was finished, it had the consistency and color of green mustard. Then he pulled a smoldering twig from the fire, grabbed my left wrist, and burned the inside of my forearm. I pulled away, but he held my wrist tightly. The burn mark was about the size of a match head. I looked at Moises. "Una nueva medicinn," he said, shaking his head, "I've never seen It."

Remembering the extraordinary experience I'd had with nu-nu, I let Pablo burn my arm a second time He scraped away the burned skin, then dabbed a little of the sapo onto the exposed areas Instantly my body began to heat up. In seconds I was burning from the Inside and regretted allowing him to give me a medicine I know nothing about. I began to sweat. My blood began to race. My heart pounded. I became acutely aware of every vein and artery in my body and could feel them opening to allow for the fantastic pulse of my blood. My stomach cramped and I vomited violently. I lost control of my bodily functions and began to urinate and defecate. I fell to the ground. Then, unexpectedly, I found myself growling and moving about on all fours. I felt as though animals were passing through me, trying to express themselves through my body. It was a fantastic feeling but it passed quickly, and I could think of nothing but the rushing of my blood, a sensation so intense that I thought my heart would burst. The rushing got faster and faster. I was in agony. I gasped for breath. Slowly, the pounding became steady and rhythmic, and when it finally subsided altogether. I was overcome with exhaustion, I slept where I was. When I awoke a few hours later, I heard voices. But as I came to my senses.. I realized I was alone. I looked around and saw that I had been washed off and put into My hammock. I stood and walked to the edge of the hut's unwalled platform floor and realized that the conversation I was over hearing was between two of Pablo's wives who were standing nearly 20 yards away. I didn't understand their dialect, of course, but I was surprised to even hear them from that distance. I walked to the other side of the platform and looked out into the jungle; its noises, too, were clearer than usual.

And it wasn't just my hearing that had been improved. My vision, my sense of smell, everything about me felt larger than life, and my body felt immensely strong: That evening I explained what was feeling with hand gestures as much as language. Pablo smiled. "Bi-ram-bo sapo." he said, "fuerte." It was good sapo. Strong.

During the next few days, my feeling of strength didn't diminish; I could go whole days without being hungry or thirsty and move through the jungle for hours without tiring Every sense I possessed was heightened and in tune with the environment, as though the sapo put the rhythm of the jungle into my blood.

I asked Pablo about sapo's uses and discovered there were several. Among hunters; it was used both to sharpen the senses and as a way to increase stamina during long hunts when carrying food and water was difficult. In large doses, it could make a Matses hunter "invisible" to poor-sighted but acute smelling jungle animals by temporarily eliminating their human odor. As a medicine, sapo also had multiple uses, serving as a tonic to cleanse and strengthen the body and as a toxin purge for those with the grippe.

The women explained that they sometimes used sapo as well. In sparing doses applied to the inside of the wrist it could establish whether a woman was pregnant or not. And during the later stages of pregnancy, it was used to establish the sex and health of a fetus. Interpreting the information relied on an investigation of the urine a woman discharged following the application of the medicine: Cloudiness or other discoloration of the urine and the presence or absence of specks of blood were all evidently indicators of the fetus's condition. In cases where an unhealthy fetus was discovered, a large dose of sapo applied to the vaginal area was used as an abortive. There was no way for me to verify what they said, though there was no reason to doubt them.

When I asked Pablo how the Matses learned about sapo, he said the dow-kiet! told them. Whether he meant the frog told them through their study of its behavior and habits or whether he believed he was in communication with it on some level, I don't know.

When I returned to New York, I was surprised to find that my description of nu-nu was old hat to the anthropologists I spoke with at the American Museum of Natural History--several tribes evidently employed similar snuffs for shamanic purposes. What did surprise them, however, was my account of sapo. None of them had ever heard of it, and while several South American tribes have hunting myths about frogs, there were no records of the Matses or any other tribe utilizing a frog's secretions in the way I described. But while my report was considered interesting, it was also inadequate, as I had no photographs of the frog and no samples of the medicine. The following year I returned to Pablo's village and discovered that sapo was also used as a shamanic tool. It was spring and the lowlands were flooded. Game had retreated deep into the forest to seasonal lagoons, so hunting was difficult, and even nu-nu failed to produce hunting visions. When I arrived, the Matses hadn't eaten meat for several days.

Pablo explained that when the river was so high, it was trapping season and that he was about to set a tem-po-te!, tapir trap. He had been giving himself five sapo burns each morning and night for three days in preparation for the task and would continue until the trap was successful. Pablo explained, as well as I could understand it, that sapo, used In such large doses, allowed a hunter to project his animas - his spirit - to his trap while he slept. The animas would take the form of a tapir and lure real tapir to it.

The day after we arrived, Moises and I went into the jungle with Pablo and Alberto. We walked for almost two hours before Pablo found a suitable site and began to construct the trap, a simple spring device set between two trees. Pablo called to the tapir while he worked, telling it what a special path he was making. He called to the other animals as well, warning them to stay away, to leave this place for his friend. When he finished the trap, he chewed handfuls of leaves and spit them out across the trip vine, both to cover his human scent and as a signpost so that his animas could find it at night.

As we were returning to the puebla, Alberto explained that traps were only set when there was no other way to get meat, because once a trap was set, no other animals could be hunted. When I asked why, he explained that animals talk to each other and that killing them provokes their spirits, ruining the trap. Seeing that I didn't understand, Pablo added that when he sent out his animas masquerading as a tapir, the provoked spirits would warn the prey that what they saw was not a real tapir but a Matses animas in disguise. Exceptions to the taboo were large river turtles and sloth-the turtle because it doesn't bother to talk to other animals and the sloth because it speaks so slowly that by the time it says what's on its mind, the river has fallen and trapping time is over.

During the next two days. Pablo never returned to the trap, although he continued using massive doses of sapo. But on the morning of the third day, he awakened us before dawn and said he had a nu-nu vision that the trap was about to be sprung. He was insistent that we hurry.

The Matses moved through the forest effortlessly, almost at a jog, and the women chided me for having to struggle to keep up. But as we neared the trap area, everyone stopped and grew absolutely quiet. Pablo's eyes blazed. "Petro," he whispered to me excitedly, "tian-te, tem-po-te" A tapir was about to be trapped.

We waited about ten minutes, then heard a sharp snap, followed by an agonizing animal scream. Suddenly, everyone began running toward the trap. The wounded and disoriented tapir crashed through the brush, bellowing in pain, then fell into a stream bed. The women caught up with it, killed it, and began to cut it up. While they did, Pablo brought me to the sprung trap and gave me the bloody spike.

Back in camp we feasted. Afterwards I asked Pablo for a sample of sapo, but he'd been using so much to prepare far the hunt that he had none to give me. So once again I returned to the states with no hard evidence of the existence. of the dow-kiet!

It took two more trips to Peru before finally managed to secure a small amount of sapo, and when I finally did, I gave half of the stick to Charles Myers. the curator of the museum's Herpetology Department, who passed it on to John Daly at the National Institutes of Health. Having finally produced the material I'd frequently talked about, my reports began to circulate and prompted a letter from Vittorio Erspamer, a pharmacologist who worked with the Fidia Research Institute for the Neurosciences. He wondered whether sapo might not come from one of a number of frogs he'd randomly collected in Amazonia several years earlier. Research done by the chemicals found in their skin had shown that several produced peptides-protiens-that were similar to peptides produced by humans. If it could be shown, he wrote, that one of those frogs was already in use by humans, it would be an important scientific breakthrough. I wrote back and offered to provide him with a specimen if I ever managed to collect one.

A year after Erspamer's letter reached me, I traveled back to the Lobo with Moises. We hiked across the jungle to Pablo's, discovered his burned camp, and moved down the river where happily we found him at San Juan. "Malo casadores," Moises snarled, after we'd been watching the men of San Juan trying to find a dow-kiet! for nearly an hour. "Bad hunters. Everything is changed with them. They're finished." He was still grumbling about the state of the Matses when I heard Pablo calling me. "Petro Dow-kiet! Petro?" He was standing on a hill at the back of the puebla with Pa Mi Shua and two of his children. "Bi-ram-bo, Pablo!" I laughed: "Bi-ram-ho dow-kiet!." Yes, I would like a dow-kiet!

Pablo laughed and began to bark out the frog's mating call. The other men in the camp stopped their hunting and watched him. Between the guttural barking noises he was making we could hear him berating the frogs for making the hunt so difficult. Pa Mi Shua and his children, walking along side him on the path toward the center of camp, roared his antics.

Suddenly Pablo stood and stiffened. From the grass on the side of the path came the sound Pablo was making. He barked again, and again his call was returned. Then a second frog joined the first, and a third, and suddenly the whole camp seemed to resound with the barking of dow-keit!s. Pablo bent down and picked one up. "Mas dow-kiet!, Petro?" More, Peter? I laughed and said yes. He bent down and picked up another. "Mas? Bastan-te sapo, Petro?" More? Did I want a lot of sapo?

I told him two were enough. and he came into the camp, a frog in each hand. He gave one of them to me. It was beautiful. A little smaller than my palm, it had an extraordinary electric green back, a lightly spotted white underside, and deep black eyes. It grasped my fingers tightly, and in secends could feel my blood begin to heat up as the sapo it was secreting began to seep into the small cuts that covered my hands. I quickly put it down. Pablo giggled with delight, then broke a small branch from a tree and placed both dow-kiet!s on it, hilariously imitating my reaction.

One of the Matses men collected four sticks and stood them in the ground, making a small square. Another pulled apart some palm leaves, stripped out the fibers and rolled them into strings against his leg. He handed four of them to Pablo. who tied one to each of one frog's legs, then tied the free ends to the four posts, suspending the animal like some strange green trampoline. Once the frog was secure, Pa Mi Shua knelt and gently began to manipulate the frog's elongated center toe between her fingers, stimulating it to secrete sapo. It was an unexpectedly sexual image, and the men joked about it. Pa Mi Shua blushed and told them to be quiet.

The man who had placed the sticks in the ground disappeared into his hut for a moment, then returned with a piece of split bamboo. He began to scrape the suspended frog's sides and legs, collecting sapo. When the stick was covered, he dried out the secretions over our tiny kerosene lamp and then gave the stick to me.

That night, both frogs were tied by one leg to a low tree branch to keep them from escaping, and in the morning, the sapo from the second frog was collected. Neither was hurt by the process, and if I hadn't been taking the two specimens back to the States, they would have been set free.

One of the frogs died shortly after I returned home, and I gave its skeleton along with part of the sapo sample and some photographs to the Natural History museum. The healthy dow-kiet! along with a second sapo sample and similar photos was sent to Erspamer in Rome. Six months later, I received his report. He was very excited.

He identified the dow-kiet! as a phyllomedusa bicolor, a rare arboreal tree frog. The sapo, he said, is a sort of fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications. "No other amphibian skin can compete with it," he wrote. "Up to seven percent of sapo's weight is in potently active peptides, easily absorbed through burned, inflamed areas of the skin." He explained that among the several dozen peptides found in sapo, seven were bioactive- which meant that each has an affinity and selectivity for binding with receptor sites in humans. (A receptor is like a lock that when opened with the right key--the bioactive peptides-triggers chemical reactions in the body.) The peptide families represented in the dow-kiet! include bradykinins, tachykinins, caerulein, sauvagine, tryptophyllins, dermorphins. and bombesins.

Based on the concentrations and functions of the peptides found in and extracted from the sapo sample I sent, Erspamer was able to account for all of the physical symptoms I described as sapo intoxication. On the peripheral effects. Erspamer repoited, "Caerulein and the equiactive phyllocaerulein display a potent action on the gastrointestinal smooth muscle and gastric and pancreatic secretions. . . . Side effects observed (in volunteer patients with post operative intestinal atony) were nausea, vomiting, facial flush, mild tachycardia (heart palpitations), changes in blood pressure, sweating, abdominal discomfort, and urge for defecation."

Phyllomedusin, a new peptide of the tachykinin family, strongly affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels: and contributed to the violent purging I experienced. Sauvagine causes a long-lasting fall in blood pressure, accompanied by severe tachycardia and stimulation of the adrenal cortex, which contributed to the satiety, heightened sensory perception, and increased stamina I described. Phyllokinin, a new peptide of the bradykinin family, is a potent blood-vessel dilator and accounted for the intense rushing in my blood during the initial phase of sapo intoxication.

"It may be reasonably concluded, Erspamer wrote. "that the intense peripheral cardiovascular and gastrointestinal symptoms observed in the early phase of sapo intoxication may be entirely ascribed to the known bioactive peptides occurring in large amounts in the frog material."

As to sapo's central effects, he wrote, "increase in physical strength, enhanced resistance to hunger and thirst, and more generally, increase in the capacity to face stress situations may be explained by the presence of caerulein and sauvagine in the drug. Caerulein in humans produces "an analgesic effect . . . possibly related to release of beta-endorphins .. . in patients suffering from renal colic, rest pain due to peripheral vascular insufficiency (limited circulation), and even cancer pain." Additionally, "It caused in human volunteers a significant reduction in hunger and food intake.

The sauvagine extracted from sapo was given subcutaneously to rats and caused "release of corticotropin (a hormone that triggers the release of substances from the adrenal gland) from the pituitary with consequent activation of the pituitary-adrenal axis." This axis is the chemical communication link between the pituitary and the adrenal glands, which controls our flight-or-fight mechanism. The effects on the pituitary-adrenal axis caused by the minimal doses given the laboratory rodents lasted several hours. Erspamer noted that the volume of sauvagine found in the large quantities of sapo I described the Matses using would potentially have a much longer lasting effect on humans and would explain why my feelings of strength and heightened sensory perception after sapo use lasted for several days.

But on the question of the "magical" effects I described in tapir trapping, Erspamer says that "no hallucinations, visions, or magic effects are produced by the known peptide components of sapo." He added that "the question remains unsolved" whether those effects specifically, the feeling that animals were passing through me and Pablo's description of animas projection were due to "the sniffing of other drugs having hallucinogenic effects, particularly nu-nu.

With regard to sapo's uses relating to pregnancy, Erspamer did not address any of the issues but abortion: "Abortion ascribed to sapo may be due either to direct effect of the peptide cocktail on the uterine smooth muscle or, more likely, to the intense pelvic vase dilation and the general violent physical reaction to the drug.

From the medical-potential point of view, Erspamer said several aspects of sapo are of interest. He suggested that two of its peptide, phyllomedusin and phyllokinin have such a pronounced affect on the dilation of blood vessels that they "may increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. thus facilitating access to the brain not only of themselves, but also of the other active peptides." Finding a key to unlocking the secret of passing that barrier is vital to the discovery of how to get medicines to the brain and could one day contribute to the development of treatments for AIDS, Alzheimer's, and other disorders that threaten the brain.

There is also medicanal potential in dermorphin and deltrorphin, two other peptides found in sapo. Both are potent opioid peptides, almost identical to the beta-endorphins the human body produces to counter pain, and similar to the opiates found in morphine. Because they mirror beta-endorphins, however, sapo's opioid peptides could potentially function in a more precise manner than opiates. Additionally, while dermorphin and deltorphin are considerably stronger than morphine (18 and 39 times, respectively), because of their similarities to the naturally produced beta-endorphin, the development of tolerance would be considerably lower and withdrawal less severe than to opiates.

Both phyllocaerulein and sauvagine possess medical potential as digestive aids to assist those receiving treatment for cancer. Other areas of potential medical interest in the peptides found in sapo include their possible use as anti-inflammatories, as blood-pressure regulators, and as stimulators of the pituitary gland.

The only report thus far on sapo from John Daly's team at the National Institutes of Health (written with seven co-authors, including Katharine Mitten, who recently discovered the use of the phyllomedusa bicolor among several tribes closely related to the Matses) was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (November 14, 1992) and concentrates exclusively on a newly discovered peptide found in sapo One of the chemical fractions Daly's team isolated is a 33-amino-acid-long peptide he calls adenoregulin. which may provide a key to manipulating cellular receptors for adenosine, a fundamental component in all human cell fuel. "Peptides that either enhance or inhibit binding of adenosine analogs to brain adenosine receptors proved to be present in extracts of the dried skin secretion," Daly wrote. According to an interpretive report on the Daly paper written by lvan Amato and published in Science (November 20. 1992), "Preliminary animal studies by researchers at Warner-Lambert have hinted that those receptors, which are distributed throughout the brains of mammals, could offer a target for treating depression, stroke, seizures, and cognitive loss in ailments such as Alzheimer's disease.

Of course, medical potential only in frequently results directly in new medicines: Science may not be able to isolate or duplicate the peptides found in sapo or side effects may be discovered that would decrease their value as medicines. But even if sapo's components do not eventually serve as prototypes for new drugs, sapo will become an important pharmacological tool in the study of receptors and the chemical reactions they trigger. Certainly the study of the unique activity of sapo's bioactive peptides will advance our knowledge of the human body. Additionally, as possibly the first zoologically derived medicine used by tribals ever investigated for Western medical potential. Sapo will help open the door to a whole new field of investigation.

Unfortunately, while science catches up to the natural medicines of tribal peoples, time is running out. That Pablo was the only man at San Juan still able to draw a response from the dow-kiet! is an indication that most Matses no longer rely on it. And we have no way of knowing how many other medicines the Matses--and others--once used but have abandoned, which might also have been valuable to us.

We do knew that nearly 80 percent of the world's population relies on natural medicines for its primary health care. Investigations into a small portion of them have already provided us hundreds of drugs, from aspirin and atropine to digitalis and quinine. Fully 70 percent of the antitumor drugs used in the treatment of cancers are derived from traditional medicines as well. Yet our investigations have hardly begun. Obviously, there is much to learn from peoples like the Matses before acculturation strips them of their knowledge. It remains to be seen whether the discoveries that have begun to be made in connection with sapo spark the interest of investigators while there is still time to learn it.

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

IDENTIFY THIS!!!!!!

2004-05-14T00:12:56Z

...hello all!

new here.

was wondering if anyone has capability of identifying cactus which appear very similiar to san pedro?

i live in south florida and have heard it rumored that ornamental cacti which one sees around these parts are in fact inside the same family as san pedro and contain mescaline!!!!

YUMMY!!!!!

there's one down the street that's about twelve feet tall with arms sprouting out all over the damn place. combined with the fact that this plant/being always seems to find itself in my path (and vice versa) and that it also pushes out this heavy "come hither" vibe whenever i'm around it....well, let's just say that my curiosity is peaked....

say i was to take some pictures and gather some facts....is there anyone here who could guide me in identifying said being?

cuz, well, spirit mescaline and i, well...let's just say that i'm too excited to verbalize the possibility of it!

and if a relative spirit of san pedro is in fact approaching me, does anyone have any advice on respectful and intelligent consumption and preparation?

thanks

d.v.

posted in Ethnobiology - 3 replies

share your adventures/education

2004-03-25T20:41:45Z

Hi all, I'd like to get an idea of who we are here on this tribe and what bring us here.
I got interested in ethnobio as a grad student in medical anthropology. In fact, I got so interested in psychactive plants used in medicine that two things happened 1.experiential research (highly recommended!) and 2.I fell in love with botany and switched my M.A. into an M.S. in bio.
In the course of my studes I've done research in Tapachula, (next to Guatemala) and Chiapas, Mexico, Ecuador, and Samoa (worked with Paul Cox who is pretty amazing!).
I narrowly avoided being committed to an insitution of higher learning in order to study ethnobot as a PhD student and am now making a meager but decent living teaching high school. I am wistful for the rainforest and for the kinds of conversations that ethnobiologist have (in general a petty broad thinking well schooled bunch). I have moved into permaculture studies (which are greatly enhanced by ethnobiology) and am very excited about applying ethnobiology to deal with some of the issues that face industrialized urban zones.
I'd love to hear from you!
Joan

posted in Ethnobiology - 14 replies

biocultural diversity

2004-03-25T02:41:33Z

We're losing species and languages at a rate unseen since our species came out of africa. Any ideas on what we can do to stop the processes driving the extinction? We have to do something, and ethnobiology seems like a good field for getting the ideas flowing

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

tribe's latest main photo

2004-03-23T05:19:33Z

okay, i want the story of nature boy here! is this a future papa botanica (nothing personal ma) or what? anyway, it looks like it'd make a great story; reminds me of my days in the amazonian peru or the TIHKAL tikal!

will

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

phytoestrogens

2004-03-20T07:34:52Z

Hi,
some years ago I came accross a claim that the ancient Greeks had been responsible for the extinction of a very valuable plant. The plant had the property of a contraceptive pill and was therefore highly prized. Despite its obvious value it was not cultivated but gathered from the wild, unfortunately to such an extent that it is now extinct.

Has any one else ever heard of this and if so do you know more about its fate?

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

Shakespeare's smoke

2004-03-13T08:10:52Z

I've wondered why I had trouble understanding Shakspeare ...
Anyone else have anything to say about his muse?

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Was William Shakespeare partial to a good deal more than a pinch of tobacco while composing his sonnets?

While there is no proof the bard delved into narcotics, clay pipe fragments excavated from his Stratford-upon-Avon home and of the 17th century period show conclusively that cocaine and myristic acid -- a hallucinogenic derived from plants, including nutmeg -- were smoked in Shakespeare's England.

The findings, published in the latest issue of the South African Journal of Science, also show hints of residues of cannabis or marijuana, but this has not been proven. Nicotine, unsurprisingly, was one of the compounds firmly identified.

``The cocaine was found in two of the 24 pipe fragments examined, which is really quite remarkable,'' Dr. Francis Thackeray, a paleontologist at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria who co-write the article, told Reuters.

``The Spanish had access to it at that time in the Americas, but the fact that it was smoked in England at that time is a first. It is quite a find,'' said Thackeray, who is a distant relative of the famous 19th century English author.

``Cocaine was recorded in Europe about 200 years ago, but to our knowledge never this early,'' he said.

``...apparently no chemical analyzes have been undertaken to determine what substances other than tobacco may have been smoked in England during the 17th century,'' the article said.

It said cannabis sativa, the plant from which marijuana is derived, ``was certainly accessible in Elizabethan England for paper, rope, garments and sails.''

The fragments, which were lent to Thackeray by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, were examined with the help of Inspector Tommie van der Merwe of the South African Police Service's Forensic Science Laboratory.

DRUG-INDUCED POETRY AND PROSE?
The findings are certain to spark tantalizing speculation that England's favorite writer may have been inspired to write his enduring classics while under the influence of substances associated with bohemian authors of the 20th century.

``There is some suggestive evidence in Shakespeare's own writing,'' said Thackeray.

``In sonnet 76 he refers to a 'noted weed' which may have been a reference to cannabis,'' he said.

``In the same sonnet, he refers to 'compounds strange' and the word compounds is a known reference to drugs,'' he said.

``But I think Shakespeare, who may have experimented with these substances, is saying he would rather turn away from them. I would not read it as an endorsement of drug use,'' he said.

posted in Ethnobiology - 9 replies

The Overstory #135

2004-03-04T04:19:49Z

Hi all,

I am new to this tribe. Hope this message is not to long. I don't know if you are familiar with this free e-mail journal, if not and you are interested in receiving the messages, one can sign up at www.agroforestry.net
Hoping that you enjoy.

Juan

The Overstory #135 - Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Agroforestry

By M.R. Rao, M.C. Palada and B.N. Becker

Contents:

: INTRODUCTION
: MEDICINAL TREES IN TRADITIONAL AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
: FORESTS AND FOREST PLANTATIONS
: HOMEGARDENS
: RIPARIAN BUFFER ZONES
: INTERCROPPING OF MAPS
: --> Medicinal plants as overstory trees
: --> Medicinal plants as intercrops
: CONCLUSION
: LITERATURE CITED
: ORIGINAL SOURCE
: ABOUT THE AUTHORS
: WEB LINKS
: RELATED EDITIONS OF THE OVERSTORY
: PUBLISHER NOTES
: SUBSCRIPTIONS

::::::::

INTRODUCTION

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) play an important role in the
healthcare of people around the world, especially in developing
countries. Until the advent of modern medicine, man depended on
plants for treating human and livestock diseases. Human societies
throughout the world have accumulated a vast body of indigenous
knowledge over centuries on medicinal uses of plants, and for related
uses including as poison for fish and hunting, purifying water, and
for controlling pests and diseases of crops and livestock. About 80%
of the population of most developing countries still use traditional
medicines derived from plants for treating human diseases (de Silva
1997). China, Cuba, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and a few other
countries have endorsed the official use of traditional systems of
medicine in their healthcare programs. For example, the Indian
systems of medicine "Ayurveda," "Sidha" and "Unani" entirely, and
homeopathy to some extent, depend on plant materials or their
derivatives for treating human ailments (Prajapati et al. 2003).
People in villages and remote areas primarily depend on traditional
medicines as the modern system is out of reach and expensive. Many
among the educated in Asian and African countries use traditional
medicines for reasons of firm belief that they are more effective
than modern medicine for certain chronic diseases, they do not have
side effects of some of the modern medicines, and/or for economic
reasons. Thus, in many societies, traditional and modern systems of
medicines are used independently.

About 12.5% of the 422,000 plant species documented worldwide are
reported to have medicinal value; the proportion of medicinal plants
to the total documented species in different countries varies from
4.4% to 20% (Schippmann et al. 2002). About 25% of drugs in modern
pharmacopoeia are derived from plants and many others are synthetic
analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. Up to
60% of the drugs prescribed in Eastern Europe consist of unmodified
or slightly altered higher plant products (Lancet 1994). These drugs
carry important therapeutic properties including contraceptives,
steroids and muscle relaxants for anesthesia and abdominal surgery
(all made from the wild yam, Dioscorea villosa); quinine and
artemisinin against malaria; digitalis derivatives for heart failure;
and the anti-cancer drugs vinblastin, etoposide and taxol. These
compounds cannot be synthesized cost-effectively, which means that
their production requires reliable supplies of plant material (van
Seters 1997).

The global importance of MAP materials is evident from a huge volume
of trade at national and international levels. During the 1990s, the
reported annual international importation of MAPs for pharmaceutical
use amounted on average to 350 000 Mg valued at over USD 1 billion. A
few countries dominate the international trade with over 80% of the
global import and export allotted to 12 countries each. Whereas Japan
and Korea are the main consumers of medicinal plants, China and India
are the world's leading producing nations. Hong Kong, United States
and Germany stand out as important trade centers. It is estimated
that the total number of MAPs in international trade is around 2500
species worldwide (Schippmann et al. 2002).

MEDICINAL TREES IN TRADITIONAL AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

Many plants in traditional agricultural systems in the tropics have
medicinal value. These can be found (either planted or carefully
tended natural regenerations) in homegardens, as scattered trees in
croplands and grazing lands, and on field bunds (Table 2). Many
Acacia species found in Africa such as Acacia nilotica, A. seyal, A.
senegal and A. polyacantha, as well as several species in African
croplands (e.g. Faidherbia albida, Vitellaria paradoxa, Adansonia
digitata, Markhamia lutea and Melia volkensii) have medicinal value
(ICRAF 1992). Similarly, "arjun" (Terminalia arjuna) in India,
chinaberry (Melia azederach) in Asia and Erythrina species in Latin
and Central America combine many uses including medicinal. Holy Basil
or "tulsi" (Ocimum sanctum), drumstick (Moringa oleifera) and curry
leaf (Murraya koenigii) are backyard plants in many Indian households
and they are routinely used for common ailments or in food
preparations. A number of plants used as live fences around home
compounds such as henna (Lawsonia inermis) in India (Singh et a.
1996), Ipomoea carnea ssp. fistulosa in Bolivia and Asian countries
(Frey 1995) and Euphorbia tirucalli around crop fields in Africa
(ICRAF 1992) have medicinal values. Although the medicinal value of
these plants is "exploited" locally, they are seldom used for
commercial purposes (except in the case of commercially exploited
neem). In fact, many of these species are valued for poles, fuel
wood, fodder, fruit, shade, and/or boundary demarcation and their
medicinal value is secondary.

FORESTS AND FOREST PLANTATIONS

MAPs growing in forests require (or tolerate) partial shade, moist
soils high in organic matter, high relative humidity, and mild
temperatures. Cultivation of such MAPs can be taken up in thinned
forests and cleared forest patches, and as intercrops in new forest
plantations (Table 3). In China, cultivation of medicinal plants has
been an age-old practice under the name of "silvo-medicinal" systems.
In northeast China, ginseng (Panax ginseng) and other medicinal
plants are grown in pine (Pinus spp.) and spruce (Picea spp.)
forests; in central China, many medicinal plants are planted with
Paulownia tomentosa and in southern China medicinal herbs are often
planted in bamboo (Bambusa spp.) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia
lanceolata) forests (Zou and Sanford 1990). In Yunnan province,
China, traditional "Dai and Jinuo" agroforestry systems involve the
medicinal crop Amomum villosum in the forest areas cleared of
undergrowth (Saint-Pierre 1991). The forest is thinned to give 30% to
40% shade and seedlings or cuttings are planted, which produce an
average dried fruit yield of 375 kg ha-1 per annum (Zhou 1993). Gupta
(1986) listed a number of indigenous understory herbs and shrubs that
can be produced as part of forest farming or in new forest
plantations to improve economic returns from forests in India (Table
3). Indigenous people living in the Himalayan forest margins in
Uttaranchal, India, are known to have conserved and cultivated
several medicinal species for centuries (Kumar et al. 2002).

A farmers' cooperative in the northern lowlands of Costa Rica has
successfully demonstrated cultivation of the medicinal herb
"raicilla" (Cephaelis ipecacuanha) in natural forests for export to
the Netherlands and Germany (Hager and Otterstedt 1996). American
ginseng (Panax quinquefolium), a medicinal herb exported to China
from the United States and Canada is grown as an understorey in red
maple (Acer rubrum) forests (Nadeau et al. 1999) or deciduous
hardwoods such as black walnut (Juglans nigra) and sugar maple (Acer
saccharum), instead of growing under artificial shade with
considerable expense (Hill and Buck 2000). Indeed, cultivation of
ginseng and several other medicinal plants in the forests is a common
and growing form of forest-farming practice of agroforestry in North
America (Table 3). Light demanding understory species (e.g. Echinacea
sp.) may be intercropped initially to provide early returns from
plantations and after canopy closure, shade-tolerant species such as
ginseng and goldenseal can be intercropped (Teel and Buck 2002).
Studies in New Zealand have indicated that the American ginseng can
be successfully grown under Pinus radiata with best growth under a
tree stand of 130 stems ha-1 (Follett 1997). In addition to providing
shade, the trees may also benefit the understory component from
hydraulically lifted water. Fungal diseases are a major concern in
forest farming but the application of fungicide can be detrimental to
the forests' health, therefore proper spacing and mixed cropping is
recommended (Cech 2002). Mechanical cultivation may not be feasible
under forested conditions so labor availability needs to be
considered as a constraining factor (Hill and Buck 2000).

As in the taungya system, newly established forest plantations
can be intercropped with MAPs similar to food crops until the trees
cover the ground. The participation of the local people with right to
share benefits of the plantations, especially ownership to crops, has
helped governments to establish and protect large-scale tree
plantations without conflict with the local people in many Asian
countries (Nair 1993). The same approach can be employed for the
cultivation of MAPs in the new plantations. In the rehabilitation of
degraded forestlands, participatory planning and implementation with
local communities and economic benefits from an early stage onwards
will ensure commitment of the people (Rao et al. 1999).

HOMEGARDENS

Homegardens are complex agroforestry systems involving many plant
species characterized by different morphology, stature, biological
function and utility, practiced mostly in the humid and subhumid
tropics (Kumar and Nair 2004). Food, fruit and timber species may
dominate the homegardens and occupy the middle and upper strata, but
medicinal plants, spices and vegetables occupy the lower stratum.
Three categories of medicinal plants could be noted in homegardens:
species used exclusively for medicine, horticultural or timber
species with complementary medicinal value, and "weedy" medicinal
species. While the first two categories are deliberately planted the
latter group is part of spontaneous growth. The species composition,
plant density and level of management vary considerably depending on
the soil, climate and market opportunity and cultural background of
the people. Homegardens of individual holdings generally cover small
parcels of land and are established around homesteads. Although these
systems in the past were mostly seen to meet the home needs of
small-scale farmers in the forest margins, increased urbanization,
transport and market opportunities in recent times are helping to
produce cash value crops. Multistrata systems involve fewer species
(three to 10 species) than in homegardens in definite planting
arrangement and can be designed for home consumption as well as
commercial production.

Medicinal plants are an invariable component of homegardens, whether
they are in the Peruvian Amazon (Lamont et al. 1999), on the slopes
of the Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (O'Kting'ati et al. 1984), or in
the humid and semiarid Cuba (Wezel and Bender 2003). The species
composition differs depending on cultural background, distance from
markets and influence of tourism. Medicinal plants accounted for
about 27% of total plant species in the homegardens in Amazon (Padoc
and de Jong 1991), 56% in northern Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula)
(Agelet et al. 2000) and 45% in the floodplains of the river Jamuna
in Bangladesh (Yoshino and Ando 1999). In the Soqotra Island, Yemen,
endemic medicinal plants such as Aloe perryi, Jatropha unicostata and
Commiphora ornifolia are cultivated in homegardens (Ceccolini 2002).
On St. Croix and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the medicinal trees
neem, moringa, and noni (Morinda citrifolia) have become popular in
homegardens (Palada and Williams 2000).

RIPARIAN BUFFER ZONES

An agroforestry system that has received considerable attention in
North America is riparian buffers zones (Schultz et al. 2004).
Riparian buffer zones can improve water quality and protect streams
and rivers from degradation by nutrient loading and chemical
pollutants from agriculture and urban areas, from erosion by
attenuating peak flows and provide habitat for wildlife. NTFP
production can help defray the cost of buffer zone installation and
maintenance. Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), harvested for its aromatic
and medicinal inner bark, is commonly found in riparian areas in
North America (Teel and Buck 2002). Riparian buffer zones are an
ideal location for the production of this species, which suffers from
commercial over-exploitation and the Dutch elm disease.

INTERCROPPING OF MAPS

Two types of intercropping systems can be distinguished involving
MAPs: (1) medicinal plants as upperstory trees and (2) MAPs as
intercrops in other tree crops.

--> Medicinal plants as overstory trees

Coffee (Coffea arabica), cacao (Theobroma cacao) and tea (Camellia
sinensis) are traditionally grown under shade offered by multipurpose
trees that produce timber, fruit, flowers, nuts, palms etc. Medicinal
tree species that grow tall and develop open crown at the top can
also be used for this purpose, for example yongchak (Parkia
roxburghii) in India, the protein rich seeds of which are used to
treat stomach disorders (Balasubramanian 1986) and Ginkgo biloba in
China, the nuts of which are used in Chinese medicine and fetch high
value (Shen 1998). In Ivory Coast, 19 of the 41 tree species planted
as shade trees in coffee and cacao provide pharmaceutical products
for traditional medicine (Herzog 1994). New plantations of coffee,
tea, and cacao offer scope for cultivation of forest medicinal trees
that are under demand. However, research needs to identify the
medicinal trees that can be grown in association with these
plantation crops and develop management practices for them. Tall and
perennial medicinal trees that need to be planted at wider spacing
such as Prunus africana, Eucalyptus globulus (for oil), sandalwood
(Santalum album), ashok (Saraca indica), bael (Aegle marmelos),
custard apple (Anona squamosa), amla (Emblica officinalis), drumstick
or moringa (Moringa oleifera) and soapnut tree (Sapindus mukorossi)
can be intercropped with annual crops in the early years until the
tree canopy covers the ground. Some of the medicinal trees may allow
intercropping for many years or on a permanent basis depending on the
spacing and nature of the trees. The intercrops give some income to
farmers during the period when the main trees have not started
production.

--> Medicinal plants as intercrops

Many tropical MAPs are well adapted to partial shading, moist soil,
high relative humidity and mild temperatures (Vyas and Nein 1999),
allowing them to be intercropped with timber and fuel wood
plantations, fruit trees and plantation crops. Some well known
medicinal plants that have been successfully intercropped with fuel
wood trees (e.g. Acacia auriculiformis, Albizia lebbeck, Eucalyptus
tereticornis, Gmelina arborea, and Leucaeana leucocephala) in India,
include safed musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum), rauvolfia (Rauvolfia
serpentina), turmeric (Curcuma longa), wild turmeric (C. aromatica),
Curculigo orchioides, and ginger (Zingiber officinale) (Chadhar and
Sharma 1996; Mishra and Pandey 1998; Prajapati et al. 2003). Only 10
out of 64 herbaceous medicinal plants tried in intercropping with
two-year old poplar (Populus deltoides) spaced 5 m apart gave poor
performance (Kumar and Gupta 1991), indicating that many medicinal
plants can be grown in agroforestry systems. The trees may benefit
from the inputs and management given to the intercrops. Short stature
and short cycle MAPs and culinary herbs are particularly suited for
short-term intercropping during the juvenile phase of trees. Wherever
markets are established, MAPs are remunerative alternative intercrops
to the traditionally grown annual crops (Maheswari et al. 1985; Zou
and Sanford 1990). The number of years MAPs can be intercropped with
a given tree species depends on the size and intensity of its canopy
shade, tree spacing and management, especially pruning of branches
and nature of the MAPs. Shade-tolerant and rhizomatic MAPs can be
grown on a longer-term basis in widely spaced plantations.

Intercropping of medicinal plants in coconut (Cocos nucifera) and
arecanut (Areca catechu) stands is an age-old practice in India and
other parts of south- and southeast Asia. These palms allow 30% to
50% of incident light to the underneath, which is ideal for some
MAPs, including cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). Kacholam or galang
(Kaempferia galanga) - a medicinal herb - is traditionally
intercropped in mature coconut gardens in Kerala, India. Kacholam
intercropped in a 30 year-old coconut plantation produced 6.1 Mg ha-1
of rhizomes compared with 4.8 Mg ha-1 as a sole crop (Maheswarappa et
al. 1998). Twelve-year old coconut trees did not adversely affect the
growth and yields of a number of medicinal species grown as
intercrops compared to the yields in the open (Nair et al. 1989). In
Karnataka and Kerala states, India, arecanut palm is commonly
intercropped with ginger, turmeric, black pepper (Piper nigrum) and
cardamom (Korikanthimath and Hegde 1994). Some of these intercrops
may cause small reduction in arecanut yields but the combined returns
from both the components are greater than from arecanut alone.
Another plantation crop intercropped with MAPs is rubber (Hevea
brasiliensis), for example with Dioscorea floribunda in the state of
Assam in India (Singh et al. 1998) and with Amomum villosum in Yunnan
province of China (Zhou 1993). In Sikkim, India, large cardamom
(Amomum subulatum) is grown under 30 different shade tree species
(Patiram et al. 1996). In Fujian Province, China, Cunninghamia
lanceolata - an important timber tree - is intercropped with a
variety of cereals, cash and medicinal and oil-producing crops
(Chandler 1994). Many of the medicinal herbs commonly grown in
thinned forests can also be grown intercropped with trees (Zhou
1993).

In the Caribbean islands, there has been increased interest on
alternative crops that have better economic potential than
traditional crops. For example, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a number
of farmers are now opting for specialty crops such as the West Indian
hot peppers (Capsicum chinense), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and chives
(Allium schoenosprasum) instead of vegetables (Crossman et al. 1999).
The prospects of growing indigenous MAPs such as "japana" (Eupatorium
triplinerve), worrywine (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), inflammation
bush (Verbersina alata) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) in
association with the medicinal trees noni (Morinda citrifolia) and
moringa have been explored at the University of the Virgin Island,
St. Croix, (Palada and Williams 2000). These local herbs are commonly
used as bush teas and very popular in the Caribbean. Medicinal plants
and herbs in intercropping produced similar yields to those in sole
cropping at the first harvest, but they tended to be lower than in
sole cropping at subsequent harvests (Palada and Williams 2000).

CONCLUSION

Traditional systems of medicine in most developing countries depend
primarily on the use of plant products either directly or indirectly.
Besides serving the healthcare needs of a large number of people,
medicinal plants are the exclusive source of some drugs even for
modern medical treatment. The use of plant products as nutrition
supplements and in the cosmetic and perfume industry has increased
the value of medicinal and aromatic plants in recent years. The over
dependence on forests, natural woodlands and long-term fallows for
extraction of MAPs is threatening the survival of many valuable plant
species. It is imperative therefore that such endangered species are
cultivated outside their natural habitats to ensure their regular
supply for human needs as well as to preserve the genetic diversity.
Cultivation is an important strategy for conservation and sustainable
maintenance of natural stocks, but few MAPs are actually cultivated.
Lack of basic knowledge on biology, ecology, propagation methods and
cultural practices for the concerned species is an important
constraint.

posted in Ethnobiology - 1 reply

27th ethnobiology conference

2004-03-04T04:14:22Z

27th ANNUAL ETHNOBIOLOGY CONFERENCE
Living Landscapes: Linking Ethnobiology and Restoration Ecology in the Revival of Native Systems
University of California, Davis • March 24-27 2004
We invite you to attend our three-day conference to discuss the enduring stewardship legacy of the Native peoples of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as other Native peoples around the world.

Ethnobiologists, restoration practitioners, environmentalists, watershed planners, and others, will come together to share their research findings and project successes at Wright Theater (Hall) on the University of California, Davis campus.

* Link ethnobiology with conservation activities such as land restoration and natural area stewardship
* Promote dialogue between indigenous people, ethnobiologists, and researchers/practitioners in wildland management/ restoration, and agricultural sciences
* Contrast "Western" and "indigenous" beliefs about science and resource management
* Integrate academic with indigenous and place-based forms of knowledge
* Better define the ancient linkages between the pre-agricultural cultivation of wild nature and domesticated agriculture
* Evaluate the effectiveness of institutional regulations in conserving biocultural diversity
* Review the latest research findings in ethnobotany, ethnozoology, historical ecology, environmental anthropology, and related fields

for more info check out www.ethnobiology.org

posted in Ethnobiology - 2 replies

culpeper's herbal on radio 4

2004-03-02T00:06:54Z

book of the week , might be worth listening too. follow the link below

"The Herbalist, by Benjamin Woolley, read by Hannah Gordon, abridged by Libby Spurrier.

Nicholas Culpeper was a rebel whose ideas shook the medical establishment. His Culpeper's Herbal was in print for 350 years".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/book_of_the_week.shtml

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies

Guarana

2004-03-01T04:31:08Z

Does anyone know where i can Buy Paullinia cupana seeds to grow or a live plant?

posted in Ethnobiology - 0 replies