The use of medicinal plants to treat a variety of illnesses and conditions, both physical and spiritual, is an integral part of the traditional medicine of the Iskonawa people. Leaves, seeds, and bark are fundamental elements in their Indigenous medical practice. Herbal medicine is a collective practice that promotes the well-being of families. There are plants that help one become a good hunter or fisherman, which form part of the ritualistic beliefs of the Iskonawa people.
The Iskonawas believe that the medicinal plants they use have their owners in the spiritual realm, and these plants play a crucial role in healing illnesses. Each plant has its own spirit, and to use them effectively, it is necessary to request the intervention of the corresponding spirit. Below, Felix Ochavano tells us about the medicinal plants used by the Iskonawa people:
“There are four main medicinal plants, one is for hunters and fishermen, there are medicines for that. There are vines for hunting, there are other plants for winning over women, and others for curing illnesses. Just as the Shipibo people use them, the Iskonawa people also use toe and tobacco (...) my grandfather bathed us with medicinal plants, we would go to the forest early in the morning without breakfast, he would bathe us so we could be good hunters, he would tell us that if we didn't heal ourselves, we wouldn't be able to hunt. What happened? Even the fish in the water could not be seen or caught. If we didn't bathe, we couldn't do it, but if we bathed with the plants, it made us dream. Men from the forest came and healed us. It was something magical. Even now, I cannot forget it."
Traditional medicine practiced by the Iskonawa people can be classified into four distinct categories: those used to treat physical illnesses, those that strengthen the body for hunting or fishing, those used to heal spiritual or social problems, and plants used for “conquest” rituals. Among the numerous plants used by the Iskonawas are cedar, toe, cetico, sacha garlic, motelo huasca, mullaca, tobacco, mucura, sangre de grado, mático, and uvos, among others.
When it comes to the concept of health and illness, the Iskonawas have a perspective based on their worldview. When someone falls ill, it is attributed to the transgression of certain norms established by society or the deities of their cosmovision. These transgressions can be prevented and treated through traditional medicine (Ochavano, et al, 2023).
The animistic meaning present in healing practices with medicinal plants shapes the cultural, social, and symbolic language of the Iskonawa people. The task of healing people from physical, social, and spiritual illnesses falls to the community's healer, a person with deep knowledge of plants and their power, who has been initiated from an early age.
