Future Health Now! Encyclopedia

However, the encyclopedia alone is insufficient to maintain their self-sufficiency as their healing systems are based on experience that can only be transmitted through long apprenticeships. Sadly, due to outside influences, when we started the project none of the elders had apprentices.

Yet, at the same time, most villages still depended on and actively utilize the medicinal plant knowledge of the remaining elder healers, most of who are estimated to be over the age of He understands that the future health of his people depends on the creation of dual, vibrant systems of health that allow the community to draw upon the best of both worlds.

In addition, it was agreed that our agro-forestry work should be expanded to include medicinal plant integration. To an outsider, this forest looks like non-descript stretch of rainforest along the footpath to their farms, about a 10 to 15 minutes walk away from their village. Unfortunately, history abounds with examples of theft from indigenous peoples.

The secretions, rich in a diversity of bioactive peptides, are administered directly into the body through application onto fresh burn or cut-wounds. Within moments, the toxins induce intense cardiovascular and autonomic responses, ultimately leading to a state of altered consciousness and heightened sensory acuity. Several pharmaceutical companies and universities filed patents on the peptides without recognition of indigenous peoples for which it has long held a unique and important role in their culture.

One antifungal peptide from the frog was even transgenically inserted into a potato. The fear of biopiracy is unfortunately a door that has swung both ways. Many conservation groups and scientists in the Amazon have done projects documenting indigenous knowledge of local fauna, such as recording bird names, but have generally been completely hands-off when it came to medicinal plants due to the fears of being accused of facilitating biopiracy.

Yet with the medicinal plant knowledge disappearing fast among most indigenous groups and no one to write it down, the true losers in the end are tragically the indigenous stakeholders themselves. No scientific names are included nor photographs of flowers or other easily identifiable characteristics of the plants to outsiders. Each chapter of the Traditional Medicine Encyclopedia was written by a renowned elder shaman chosen by the community. At the meeting, the compiled Encyclopedia, the draft of which exceeded pages in length, was collectively edited and reviewed by the tribal shamans over several days.

We are already seeing efforts by other organizations eager to replicate it. Or has trust been eroded too far? I can say from working with indigenous healers throughout the Amazon that I have found them to be generally open to sharing their knowledge, when approached with respect. They also have an intellectual curiosity regarding other systems of healing, including our own. Due to the political climate and international fears of biopiracy, it is challenging for even well intentioned pharmaceutical companies committed to equitable profit-sharing agreements to undertake such initiatives.

Practically speaking, the complexity of indigenous knowledge and medicines is such that it is not possible to fully evaluate the phytochemistry within the timeframe that the knowledge is poised to be lost. The simple microscope for malaria smears was broken in almost every village that I have visited. Comparatively, we live in a world of health care abundance.

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If there is to be dialogue, in my view it should begin with how we can support them in the present rather than how they can help us in the future. Many people view medicine and rainforest conservation as separate domains. How is health connected to the environment? The health of a people, their culture, and environment are inextricably linked. The border between Haiti and the adjacent Dominican Republic can be viewed from satellite as an abrupt transition from brown to green, the result of different approaches to resource use.

Likewise, the images of Ethiopia that exist in the modern consciousness belie the fact that, a mere century ago, Ethiopia was a country with a significant amount of forest cover. Viewed in this way, biocultural conservation initiatives can be extremely cost-effective and preventative approaches to healthcare. Sometimes change on the ground begins with something as simple and as powerful as an idea.

The idea that your culture, traditions and way of life are not inferior or something to be ashamed of, as others may have told you. The idea that the rainforests you call home have a value infinitely greater than petroleum reserves or mahogany sourced to produce luxury furniture. The idea that your mastery of the rainforest environment does not make you primitive and backward, but rather positions you to be at the forefront of the global movement for conservation.

The Encyclopedia is a tangible first step towards bridging an increasingly widening generational gap before it is too late. The Encyclopedia initiative renews respect for the wisdom of the elders and returns the rainforest to a repository of healing and a place for learning. What was the atmosphere like at the meeting?

Many were choking back tears as one elder after another called on the youth to seize this opportunity to fill the impending void left as the elders pass away, just as they did when their grandfathers were alive. I have been working in biocultural conservation in the Amazon for 15 years but it was one of the most inspirational experiences to hear the power of their oratory and the determination in their voices. Chris Herndon serves on the board of Mongabay. Rhett was not involved in the editorial process of this interview.

Our outer world is a reflection of what lies within our collective inner worlds. By directing our thoughts in specific, positive ways, we have the potential to guide the world towards becoming a A less expensive and safer way to prevent and treat diabetes is to optimize your magnesium levels. You can do your own clinical trial.

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Module 14 on Magnesium from my online wellness program on my Organized Wisdom Site. Look for it under the Magnesium Files. To keep healthy join my Completement Now! To get well if you have existing health problems, read my Future Health Now Encyclopedia. To know why our health has been stolen from us, read Death by Modern Medicine: To get well and stay well, join my 2-year online wellness program called Completement Now!

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