Amazonian Traditional Plant Medicine and Ethnobotany
internship Overview
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, with over 40,000 plant species and 2.5 million insect species! Also, many species of Amazonian flora and fauna have medicinal properties, and about 25 percent of pharmaceutical drugs are derived from the rainforest. The main indigenous group in the region, the Kichwa nation, is known for using natural healing and plant medicine to treat everything from colds to chronic illnesses and wounds. Despite the existence of both traditional and Western medicine in the region, this province has disproportionate access to healthcare and a lack of educational resources for disease prevention.
Interns work in the Napo province, centered around the main city of Tena. This province is home to many natural healers, herbalists, and medicine men that are working hard to preserve their traditions. Internship benefits:
Live with a host family that uses plant medicine and traditional healing practices
Learn about Amazonian herbalism, traditional medicine practices, and traditional farming practices
Learn from and collaborate with local healers
Depending on the placement, opportunity to make salves, tinctures, balms, and more; observe and/or participate in traditional cleansings; plant medicinal plants in agroforestry farms
Collaborate on projects that disseminate knowledge of indigenous, traditional medicine
Opportunity to collaborate part-time in a health clinic, hospital, or governmental health organization
Research & dissertation support available with partner organizations and universities, if requested
***NOTE: Specific projects change throughout the year depending on the needs of our partner organizations. The projects interns work on during their internships are based on the organization’s’ immediate needs and workflow.***
Daily Life
Internships begin with an orientation in the city of Tena. After, interns spend the first few weeks getting to know their host family and internship placements. Depending on the needs of the placement, potential internship activities include:
Identify medicinal plants and understand their importance in traditional medicine
Establish relationships with alternative healthcare providers and specialists
Shadow healers and medicine men to learn about local medicine traditions
Collaborate on projects to assist healers and medicine men in disseminating information about traditional medicine and support their goal of preserving their culture
Contribute to work in the chakra (traditionally-planted agroforestry farm) by planting, weeding, and harvesting
Create and/or clear trails in medicinal plant gardens or chakras with locals
Support eco-toursim projects and guide visitors as they learn about medicinal plants and traditional medicine practices
Research local medicinal plants and national and international markets where they can be sold
Interns live with host families, allowing them to forge meaningful connections with locals during their time in the Amazon. Most host families live in rural communities close to the forest, and many have their own agroforestry farms and invite interns to join them when they plant, weed, and harvest.
An average day for a traditional medicine and ethnobotany intern looks like:
***NOTE: Schedules can differ based on the intern’s placement and projects interns collaborate on. The following sample schedule is based off of past interns’ experiences.***
Wake up and have breakfast with host family (***If you are with a very traditional indigenous family, you can wake up with them at 4 or 5am and share in the ritual of drinking guayusa tea as a family***)
Head to the chakra (agroforestry farm) around 7:30/8am
Return home around 10/11am
Free time for independent research or activities with healers or medicine men
Lunch with host family (***OR: When interns are in the field they can buy lunch or bring a packed lunch***)
Continue research or get involved with medicine/agroforestry activity [e.g. making salves/tinctures, go back to the chakra, help with plant inventories, learn about cleansings, shadow a healer or medicine man]
Return home around 5/6 pm for dinner with the family (***We encourage interns to spend as many evenings and weekends as possible with their host families to make the most of their immersions, learn about the culture, and practice their Spanish***)
Other activities to get involved in after work and on the weekends: sports, clubs, teaching English, meeting up with other interns, going on weekend trips to nearby tourist destinations, swimming in rivers, rafting, hikes to waterfalls and swimming holes, chocolate-making