Amazon rainforest – more valuable alive than dead
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The Amazon Rainforest can be considered the mother of botanical resources, with more than 200,000 species of plants thriving in this tropical paradise. According to Michael Blalick, Director of the Institute of Economic Botany, “Of more than 265,000 known plant species, less than three percent have been tested for their medical applications, yet out of this tiny portion have come 25 percent of all medicines.” Many plants, though known and used for centuries in the Rainforest, are just beginning to get the attention they deserve as the world begins to focus on the medicinal plants of Amazonia. At the same time a congressional Committee Report says the Amazon is vanishing at a rate in excess of 20,000 square miles a year. One hundred and fifty acres are lost every minute of every day. With this destruction, we lose not only the lungs and oxygen essential to planetary balance, we lose species of animal and plant life, and we lose cultures and an ancient way of life. Creating value When people speak with Amazon John, an Amazon Explorer of 22 years and founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, they often comment, “Isn’t it terrible what is happening to the rainforest?” He replies “No, no you’re on the wrong mode, I’ve got the good news! If you really want to be a part of the solution, the whole idea is to make the rainforest more valuable alive than dead.” Now with ecological commerce and the vision of Amazon John, partnership with the indigenous people of the Upper Amazon Rainforest provides an example of mutually beneficial solutions to current environmental and health challenges of today. One acre of sustainably harvested land yield approximately $2,400, that same acre cut down for lumber only $400 and raising cattle on that acre of land, only $60. Economies of scale are at work. We now live in a time where we can once again see how ecological preservation, social responsibility and the value of our “planets greatest living pharmacy” calibrates at a level of consciousness that benefits us all. “The native Indians of the Rainforest are sitting on the health treasures for which the rest of the world is desperate,” says Amazon John Easterling. “The Amazon Rainforest has the highest concentration of nutrients and life energy on our planet, and new research is finally waking people up to these herbal and nutritional commodities.” A cure is the cure Recent studies on Una de Gato, Boldo, Suma, Maca, and Quebra pedra recognize extraordinary benefits for symptoms such as inflammation, malignant tumors, digestive disorders, hormone imbalance, chronic fatigue, and kidney stones. Sangre de Drago, a medium sized tree that when cut oozes a dark red sappy resin as if it were bleeding. For centuries this sap has been placed on wounds by indigenous people to help stop bleeding, accelerate skin regeneration and healthy tissue growth. It also promotes healing of intestinal ulcers and is very effective against parasites. It contains a compound called taspine, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral action. Nearly 90 percent of Sangre de Drago’s dry weight is proanthocyanidins, one of the strongest natural antioxidants know today. These are a small sampling of over 50 herbs that Amazon Herb Company collects from Amazonia and combines together into 16 specialized botanical formulas that are available in both tinctures and capsules. Our response to these herbs may be the greatest hope in saving the Rainforest. Every bottle of product that moves through commerce results in a positive spiral of benefits. The benefits to the tribal communities in the forest prove profound. Many communities who reverted in the past to selling land to lumber companies are now kicking those same companies out of the rainforest, canceling contracts and opting to ecologically harvest medicinal herbs for the Amazon Herb Company. Many tribes from up river come down to the Amazon Herb Eco-Preserve and Herb Facility asking to join in the harvesting. The news has traveled up river and more and more villages join the effort. Amazon John currently works with 14 communities. Tribes and tribulations When John develops working relationships with new tribes, he is invited into counsel with the chief and elders. In that setting, negotiations lead to agreements on when, how much, how, what, and for what price to harvest the herbs. Ecological ideals create sustainable practices. John comments, “We have relationships with the communities based on 20 years of trust and mutual respect.” The quality of life for the Indigenous People of the rainforest expands as they now have more options for their future. The resources provided to them in exchange for harvesting often result in appropriate technology such as solar generated power and short wave radios for inter-tribal communications and improved relations as well as large land purchases for continued sustainable uses. The tribes also maintain the resources to purchase supplies and food. Felipe, Chief of Porveneer, a remote village of about 70, gifted Amazon John with a message stating, “When the big trees are gone, the birds have no home and our children will not know the joy of their songs. And now, with you, we have rice and manioc and machetes and things for our people. And for you, these plants, so your people can know the power of the forest. And now when the sun comes, the big trees will be there to greet the morning. I have traveled for many days and this is what I know.” Besides the opportunity for a sustainable livelihood that this partnership provides, the Amazon Herb Company also donates 10% of profits to Rainforest Preservation. In the United States the company is a corporate sponsor of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, hosts 100s of events on Rainforest Preservation and provides economic opportunity for eco-entrepreneurs that partner with the company. “I envision a day when the people of the Amazon Rainforest have a say in South American Government,” says “Amazon” John. John’s dedication and commitment to the rainforest, the people, and global health has become his life’s mission. He adds, “I am just one link in the chain. The secret to success is having a vision greater than yourself.” With the ecological and sustainable harvesting of wild plants of the Amazon Rainforest the people living in the jungle preserve their land, culture, and potentially the lives of hundreds of thousands of people suffering with degenerative issues. Mark Plotkin, PhD and advocate of South American Healers states, “The shamans are not only the crucial link between the tropical rain forest and our neighborhood pharmacy, I believe they are our greatest hope for finding cures to currently incurable diseases, as well as diseases that may appear in the future.” By carefully choosing rainforest products which are sustainably harvested, like incredible wild-crafted herbs, instead of wood products, whose harvesting destroys the forest and all the life which resides within, we can make a difference for the future of the rainforest and the planet. |
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