Biomaterial Database

Magic and medicinal plants of the Ayoreos of the Chaco Boreal (Paraguay). 1993

G Schmeda-Hirschmann

Universidad de Talca, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Talca, Chile.

The Ayoreo is a hunter-gatherer tribe of Amerindians which occupy the central-northern part of the Paraguayan Chaco. The whole Ayoreo culture cannot be disassociated from religious beliefs. Disease is considered of supernatural origin and as the result of breaking or disobeying the tabu which regulates existence. A description of the shamanic practices is given to understand better the position of health practices in the Ayoreo culture, particularly the use of medicinal and hallucinogenic plants. Fragments of the Asojna ritual and the methods for becoming shaman; the initiation of the last living shaman, as well as references to the magic powers of the shaman are presented. Diagnosis and treatment included invocations to plant and animal spirits and the use of a few medicinal plants. The plants used as medicine or invoked for healing are presented for the first time. Of particular interest is the identification of two Euphorbiaceae as ritual plants by the Ayoreo.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007199	Indians, South American	Members of indigenous South American populations with pre-colonial contact origins.	Amerinds, South American,Indigenous South Americans,American Amerind, South,American Indian, South,American, Indigenous South,Americans, Indigenous South,Amerind, South American,Indian, South American,Indigenous South American,South American Amerind,South American Amerinds,South American Indian,South American Indians,South American, Indigenous,South Americans, Indigenous
D008297	Male		Males
D008519	Medicine, Traditional	Systems of medicine based on cultural beliefs and practices handed down from generation to generation. The concept includes mystical and magical rituals (SPIRITUAL THERAPIES); PHYTOTHERAPY; and other treatments which may not be explained by modern medicine.	Ethnomedicine,Folk Medicine,Folk Remedies,Home Remedies,Medicine, Folk,Medicine, Indigenous,Medicine, Primitive,Indigenous Medicine,Primitive Medicine,Traditional Medicine,Folk Remedy,Home Remedy,Remedies, Folk,Remedies, Home,Remedy, Folk,Remedy, Home
D010239	Paraguay	A country in central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil. The capital is Asuncion.
D010946	Plants, Medicinal	Plants whose roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or other constituent parts possess therapeutic, tonic, purgative, curative or other pharmacologic attributes, when administered to man or animals.	Herbs, Medicinal,Medicinal Herbs,Healing Plants,Medicinal Plants,Pharmaceutical Plants,Healing Plant,Herb, Medicinal,Medicinal Herb,Medicinal Plant,Pharmaceutical Plant,Plant, Healing,Plant, Medicinal,Plant, Pharmaceutical,Plants, Healing,Plants, Pharmaceutical
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man