Brazilian frog could cure diseases

by lfcastro | November 3, 2007 at 10:46 pm | 1149 views | add comment

Brazilian frog venon can cure several deseases

Take a look in Belem, a beautiful Brazilian amazonic city

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For years Amazon rain forest people have survived using natural products from the forest, serveral modern medicines just came from well know native Brazilians plants. In Belem, one of the most important cities in the Brazilian amazon, there is a Natural Medicine Market, people form everywhere travels to Belem to buy herbs and plants for all kinds of different deseases.

For years, Brazil's Katukina Indians have been using the poison from an Amazonian tree frog for healing purposes. Now, what was once considered merely part of a tribal ritual among these ancient peoples has been scientifically proven to have real medical value.

According to the tribe's leader Fernando Katukina, the frog venom, known as kambo, is very efficient in preventing a series of common diseases and has been used for centuries by his people.

The spiritual leader of the Katukina tribe, Shaman Assis, explained the many uses of this natural medication that has become so ingrained in the tribe's traditions. He said the benefits of the kambo poison go beyond bringing luck to hunters.

But the Katukina tribe has not yet been successful in patenting this miracle poison, which they consider to have been discovered by their people. As a result, people have been using the medication indiscriminately.

This frog poison has already been adopted by many people outside the tribe who are using kambo as a form of alternative medical treatment. Radio broadcaster Gilsiane Oliveira, for example, chose to use the frog venom to prevent future maladies and has been submitted to the Katukina ritual various times. For Oliveira, the post-treatment benefits are what made her a devotee of kambo.

The Brazilian government has also shown great interest in the frog slime discovered by the Katukina tribe and is now performing a series of studies to make it an official and recognized medication. According to senator and doctor Tiao Viana, kambo would then become another form of alternative medicine, like acupuncture or homeopathy."

TRANSLATION FOR THE VIDEO:

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FERNANDO KATUKINA, LEADER OF TRIBE, SAYING:

"You can walk through indigenous lands. These transmittable diseases don't exist among the Indian people. Therefore, I believe this (kambo medicine) is real. That's why we use the kambo (poison) and will never cease to use it."

(SOUNDBITE) (Katukina dialect) SHAMAN ASSIS, THE TRIBE'S SPIRITUAL LEADER, SAYING:

"The diseases the kambo cures are cold, fevers, headaches, stomach-aches, or when you wake up in the morning and feel that bitter taste in the mouth, it also cleans. There are many diseases kambo cures when we receive the patients. It isn't only for good luck and hunting, it cures many other diseases as well."

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FERNANDO KATUKINA, LEADER OF TRIBE, SAYING:

"Today thousands of people are involved in bio-piracy with the kambo, especially in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte where they are using a lot (of kambo), without any control, applying it whenever they want to, without the supervision of the shaman."

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PATIENT GILSIANE OLIVEIRA, SAYING:

"After this organic cleansing, it's a sensation of tranquility, of peace, relaxation and harmony. I think it's a very special and interesting experience."

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) DOCTOR AND SENATOR TIAO VIANA, SAYING:

"The strategic view of the Brazilian government is that the Amazon brings together the largest areas of biodiversity on the planet and has therefore a lot to contribute to so-called traditional medicine."

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) DOCTOR AND SENATOR TIAO VIANA, SAYING:

"The kambo is a part of a resource of traditional medicine, within so-called natural medicine, with the wisdom of traditional people that over centuries have been developing a knowledge of the forest.