"Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon.
Journal of ethnopharmacology April 12, 2011 X Jauregui, Z M Clavo, E M Jovel et al. 91 citations
A group of plants called plantas con madre (plants with a mother) are used by Amazonian healers in East-Central Peru to guide apprentices during initiation into traditional medicine. Based on work with 29 curanderos, 3 apprentices, and 4 herbalists from 2003 to 2008, 55 plant species from 26 families were identified. These plants are administered in shamanic diets (dietas) under master healers' supervision, following a sequence: purification, sensitivity and intuition, strengthening, and protection. The system is fundamental to traditional medicine and cultural continuity. The research calls for collaboration with Indigenous healers to better recognize their practices and worldviews.