Botanical treatments of Embera Indians
Diane Edrington made this video yesterday at Embera Peru village in Panama. I first went to is village more than three months ago but not been back since then. Diane told me she was going yesterday so I asked her to ask more about botanicals.
One thing you will learn around the world in such villages is that most or at least things growing within the immediate village will have some use but you must ask. Sort of like how many folks in America and Thailand grow aloe in a window or in the yard.
On Sunday we will interview a missionary who recycles soap from hotels and gets it out to remote places.
Something I learned first from the army and then years around the world: most of your medical travel problems can be avoided by:
1) Clean water
2) Clean hands and body ( Embera are in the rivers 3-5 times per day. They love clean, but many have no soap.)
3) Parasitic insects...especially mosquitos...danger
Those three things. There is more, of course, but do those three things and you are 90 percent home.
And never underestimate the value of simple things. Bananas and coconuts. It’s easy to take these for granted because they are cheap. Gold. Cheap gold. Coconut juice is the ultimate gatoraide. Green bananas can be good for diarrhea. Overripe bananas can help with constipation. And bananas and coconuts are good when things get hot and sweaty.
I was out with old Marine veterans in Cambodia when some started having heat problems. I paid a villager to fetch coconuts. That stuff is like medicine. I can’t tell you how many times across the world I paid a villager for coconuts. Out tiger hunting in Bangladesh. Same same. (Just with camera — found tiger tracks but no tigers that time). Coconuts 🌴 by the billions out there. But never sit under a loaded coconut tree. Coconuts are like asteroids and kill tons of people.
Keep that in mind if you get in a disaster situation. Coconuts are gold.
