{"id":9726,"date":"2019-08-13T11:35:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T15:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=9726"},"modified":"2025-11-19T15:56:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T20:56:16","slug":"amazonian-shaman-healing-cures-medicines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/amazonian-shaman-healing-cures-medicines\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazonian Shamans Bring Hope for the Future: Potential for Billions Worth of Medical Cures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p3\" id=\"h-shamanic-healing-in-brazil-the-untold-story-of-amazonian-medicine-nbsp\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Shamanic Healing in Brazil: The Untold Story of Amazonian Medicine&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">What this article will cover:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ul1\">\n<li><span class=\"s1\">What is a shaman?<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">What do shamans do?<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">What are uncontacted tribes?<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">What are the dangers faced by shamans and their tribes?<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">What are they doing about those dangers?<br><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-amazonian-shamans-the-last-earthbenders\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Amazonian Shamans, the Last Earthbenders<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Astronauts must crackle wistfully to Houston about how strikingly <i>green<\/i> the continent of South America is. But a birds-eye view of the Amazon rainforest will do little to help scientists advance their understanding of the magical <b>shamanic<\/b> practices that occur within the luscious vegetation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">But what exactly are <b>shamans, <\/b>and what do they do?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Aang, from the beloved TV show <i>Avatar: The Last Airbende<\/i>r, is a lot like the shamans of Asia and the Americas &#8211; politically-adjacent superhumans with one foot in the physical world and the other in the spiritual.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"339\" src=\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2019\/08\/Avatar-The-Last-Airbender.gif\" alt=\"What is a Shaman - What are shamans\" class=\"wp-image-10327\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Shamans are often considered healers because they have a good grasp of the medicinal mysteries of the jungle \u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/udvusa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">psychedelic potions<\/span><\/a> and all. Some might even argue that nobody else in the world is more likely to ferret out an organic cure for cancer out of some inconspicuous leaves and flowers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">These men \u2014 and yes, women too \u2014 are more important to society now than ever.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Ironically, it is these very people whom past generations taunted as being <i>tiraflechas<\/i> (arrow-shooters), a slur against Amerindians in South America), who just might wind up saving our modern society.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">But to understand why, let\u2019s dive deeper into what shamans are and where they come from.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-what-is-a-shaman\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What is a Shaman?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Anthropologist Claude L\u00e9vi-Strauss once famously said that if you were to ask an American Indian what a \u201cmyth\u201d was, it was extremely likely that he would answer this:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>\u201cA myth is a story from the time when humans and animals were still indistinguishable.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">In indigenous Asian and American societies, Shamans act as a sort of diplomat who connects the tribe with beings in the spirit plane. These can include living and deceased, human and animal, and sometimes even gods.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/WvixhOVEixWZUEH8la\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"Amazonian Shamans spiritual bridge\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-etymology-of-the-word-shaman\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Etymology of the Word Shaman<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">The word <b>shaman <\/b>itself is purported to have roots in the language of the Evenki, an indigenous reindeer-herding people from Siberia. This is significant because shamans, as we know them today, only appear on the Asian and American continents.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>\u0160am\u00e1n<\/i> is the designation for the Evenki\u2019s <b>ritual<\/b> <b>specialists<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">In Brazilian Portuguese, the word that society uses for the indigenous ritual specialists is derived from the Tupi-Guarani word for the same: <i>paj\u00e9<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-roles-of-the-paje-or-shaman\"><span class=\"s1\">Roles of the <i>Paj\u00e9 (or Shaman)<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ul1\">\n<li><span class=\"s1\">\u201cBridge\u201d between the spirit world and this plane<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">Ritual specialist<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\">Healer<br><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">In shamanism, there is no central deity, quintessential book, or organized&#8230; anything. Therefore, as you might guess, shamans range quite a bit in how they express the responsibilities of these broad roles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">The roles of \u201c<b>ritual specialist<\/b>\u201d<b> <\/b>and \u201c<b>spiritual bridge<\/b>\u201d are the simplest ways to understand what <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.socioambiental.org\/en\/Shamanism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">shamans across the globe<\/span><\/a> have in common. A shaman can be looked at as a kind of spokesperson,&nbsp; a conduit between his fellow human beings and the environment, as many rituals include communicating with plants and trees.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-shamanism-and-uncontacted-tribes-in-the-amazon-the-last-frontier\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Shamanism and Uncontacted Tribes in the Amazon: The Last Frontier<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Although shamans might serve as ambassadors between our world and the next, some of the tribes they represent actually have no connection to the outside world.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Seriously \u2014 these are totally <b>uncontacted tribes<\/b> that have never interacted with modern society.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Although there are more than a hundred uncontacted tribes left in the world, including a few in Papua New Guinea and the infamous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BmZ8Miogq54\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">North Sentinelese<\/span><\/a>, a grand majority of them live in the Brazilian rainforest in an area the size of Austria called <i>Vale do Javari<\/i>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">If you agree that cultures with ancient roots, world-class contributions to health, and striking rarity are valuable to us in these tumultuous times, you might be outraged to learn that <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/the-mystery-of-the-worlds-uncontacted-tribes-11443131\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">uncontacted tribes in the Amazon<\/span><\/a> get murdered in the dark of night by unscrupulous loggers and miners in Brazil.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">If shamans get wiped out or their livelihoods become threatened, we\u2019re not just looking at the extinction of an cultural relic\u2026 we\u2019re looking at millions of potentially lives that could potentially be saved by their profound medicinal insight.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-why-brazilian-shamans-could-save-millions-of-lives-around-the-world\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Why Brazilian Shamans Could Save Millions of Lives Around the World<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">You have probably heard that the Amazon rainforest is the greatest source of biodiversity on the planet. Because the majority of the rainforest resides in Brazil, the country is consistently ranked as the most biodiverse country in the world. In just one hectare (2.5 acres) of land, you might find 500 different species of trees.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-amazonian-plants-in-medicine\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Amazonian Plants in Medicine<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">The medicinal ramifications of such biodiversity are virtually limitless. Here are just a few of the thousands of important contributions the Amazon Rainforest has made to human health:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ul1\">\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><b>Hypertension<\/b>: Fer-de-lance viper venom from Brazil and Paraguay was used to create the template upon which the breakthrough drug Captopril was synthesized.<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><b>Malaria<\/b>: Quinine, a component in the cure of malaria, is an alkaloid extracted from the bark of the Latin American cinchona tree.<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><b>Multiple Sclerosis<\/b>: Extract from the lethally poisonous bark of the curare lianas, used by indigenous tribes in the Americas, is used to treat Parkinson\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other muscular diseases.<br><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Healers and shamans from Amazonian cultures, of course, have a much deeper language with which to describe and understand their ecosystem than we do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">But there are two big problems.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-dangers-to-the-shamanic-legacy\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Dangers to the Shamanic Legacy<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list ol1\">\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><b>Cultural<\/b> <b>Dispropriation<\/b>: Young Amazonians don\u2019t see value in learning the ancient wisdom what is their exclusive birthright. Instead, they rely increasingly on external trade and provincial medical branches with very limited resources. Some don\u2019t even bother to keep their native language and leave the jungle to work in the city.<br><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><b>Oral<\/b> <b>Traditions<\/b>: In the past, this potentially billion-dollar medical knowledge has only been passed down orally.<br><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p7\" id=\"h-amazonian-shamans-bring-hope-for-the-future\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Amazonian Shamans Bring Hope for the Future<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Now for the first time, five shamans of the Mats\u00e9s tribe in Brazil have written a 1,000-page encyclopedia documenting their ancestral medical knowledge. It is the first attempt of its kind. It is called the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2015\/06\/amazon-tribe-creates-500-page-traditional-medicine-encyclopedia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s3\">Mats\u00e9s Traditional Medicine Encyclopedia<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This encyclopedia was written in the language of the Mats\u00e9s with the help of the Acat\u00e9 Conservation Group to ensure that medical knowledge is not misappropriated by corporations. It is meant instead as a guide for training young shamans in the tradition.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Chris Herndon, president of Acat\u00e9 said the following:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>\u201cWhen I came down there, I had this understanding and appreciation that the indigenous shamans had this incredible knowledge of the medicinal plants. What I wasn\u2019t prepared for was how incredible their knowledge was as healers and how well they could diagnose treatments.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-what-makes-brazil-so-special\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What Makes Brazil So Special?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Aside from 4,000 miles of coastline, freedom from natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, and some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/brazilian-or-portugal-portuguese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s3\">craziest soccer fanatics<\/span><\/a> in the world, Brazil is also crowned with the leafy tiara of the Amazon.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you are interested in shopping at an alternative kind of Amazon marketplace, you may want to consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/Attraction_Review-g303404-d2373173-Reviews-Mercado_Ver_o_Peso-Belem_State_of_Para.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s3\">Ver-o-Peso<\/span><\/a>, a market hall that Brazil counts among its national patrimony selling Amazonian goods like piranha and natural medicines.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p5\" id=\"h-discover-brazil-by-learning-portuguese-nbsp\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Discover Brazil By Learning Portuguese&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ready to discover the natural wonders of Brazil, from Manaus to Rio?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/learn-portuguese-brazilian\/\">Learn Brazilian Portuguese online<\/a><\/span> with Pimsleur \u2014 we go wherever you go.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"527\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2019\/08\/Pimsleur-App.png\" alt=\"Learn Portuguese App\" class=\"wp-image-10329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2019\/08\/Pimsleur-App.png 527w, https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2019\/08\/Pimsleur-App-268x300.png 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Not convinced? Get one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/free-lesson\/\"><span class=\"s3\">free Brazilian Portuguese lesson<\/span><\/a> on us.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shamanic Healing in Brazil: The Untold Story of Amazonian Medicine&nbsp; What this article will cover: Amazonian Shamans, the Last Earthbenders Astronauts must crackle wistfully to Houston about how strikingly green the continent of South America is. But a birds-eye view of the Amazon rainforest will do little to help scientists advance their understanding of the <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/amazonian-shaman-healing-cures-medicines\/\">Read More >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":29556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[2413,1946,1873,1945],"class_list":["post-9726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-travel","tag-latin-america","tag-news","tag-portuguese","tag-trends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Amazonian Shamans Bring Hope for the Future: Potential for Billions Worth of Medical Cures | The Pimsleur Language Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why Brazilian Shamans Could Save Millions of Lives Around the World. 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