Tree Medicine, ancient remedies for Today's world

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Tree Remedies from Ancient trees

Tree Medicine from The cocoa tree, of South America

Medicinal use of the cocoa plant dates back thousands of years to the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilisations and contains 150 different chemicals in its leaves, fruit, seeds and bark.

Anxiety, fever, fatigue and coughs were all treated with preparations made from parts of the cocoa plant.

Chocolate is rich in polyphenols, the same antioxidantsfound in red wine, which have been shown to help protect against heart disease, as well as improving our immune system and affording protection against cancer.

The darker the chocolate the more anti-oxidants it contains.

The saturated fats found in cocoa beans, unlike saturated animal fats, can also help lower total blood cholesterol, and actually raise good cholesterol levels.

All good news for chocolate lovers!

Avocado is high in tannins, vitamins, and healthy, calorie-rich oilsand is an everyday tree medicine.

The antibiotic properties of its skin are exploited to treat dysentery, while the leaves are chewed as a remedyagainst gum disease.

New shoots are boiled to treat coughs in Cuba, and in Mexican traditional markets the fruit is sold as a remedy for intestinal worms.

Avocado oil is ‘hypoallergenic’ (suitable for sensitive skin) and commonly used in face creams and soaps. It has also been shown to protect against ultraviolet rays, and even have anti-ageing effects.

Rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

Originally from the dry tropical forests of Madagascar, this plant yields two of the most important anti-cancerdrugs—vincristine and vinblastine—in use today.

Since the development of these medicines, the chance ofsurviving childhood leukaemia has risen from 10% to 95%.

Diosgenin, extracted from the rhizome (underground stem) and roots of the yam, forms the basis of the modern birth control pill.

Traditionally, women in Central America used this plant for a similar purpose, taking plant extracts daily to prevent pregnancy.

In India today, traditional Ayurvedic healers use Dioscorea species to treat impotence and infertility.

In China they are used to treat liver conditions and aid digestion. Yam extracts have also been found to reduce inflammation and pain, and relax stiff muscles, and are therefore useful in treating arthritis and rheumatism.

Annatto/Lipstick tree (Bixa orellana)

The crushed seeds of annatto make a dye used to colour food from Cheddar cheese to rice, and to make cosmetics including lipstick.

Its use can be traced back to the Mayans where it was used for body paint and for dyeing fabric.

For centuries, rainforest peoples throughout Central and South America have also used the annatto tree as abroad spectrum medicine.

People in Paraguay use it to repel biting insects, while indigenous people in Peru use it to make a love potion, Annatto has been extensively investigated for its medicinal properties and research backs up the traditional uses of the tree

Herbal Medicines for Natural Heling

Pineapple Tree Medicine(Ananas comosus

Apart from its use as food, the pineapple has long been used as a medicinal plant in several native cultures to treat diverse ailments - from jaundice to warts. In the Choco regions of Colombia and Ecuador, children are treated with the young buds for respiratory problems.

The active chemical in pineapples is bromelain, a digestive enzyme extracted from the stem and fruit

Bromelain has an anti-inflammatory effect helping to reduce swelling, pain and tenderness.

It is often used after surgery, to reduce inflammation ininjuries and to treat deep burns and wounds, its also thought to improve absorption of antibiotics generally, aid the immune system and be effective against intestinal parasites, some of which cause severe diseases in humans.

Bromelain is also used in certain cosmetics.

Trumpet Tree Cecropia peltata

Cecropias or embauba are widely used in traditional medicine throughout Central and South America. Virtually every part of the tree is used in medicinal applications, bark, roots, sap, leaves and fruit.

Embauba is used to treat many diverse ailments, from respiratory illnesses to high blood pressure and rheumatism.

Applied to the skin, the latex can treat warts and ulcers, and the leaves can be used as a painkiller. A medicine to treat bronchitis and snakebites in Trinidad, and used as a cure for diabetes and hypertension in Guatemala.

Each country has differing uses for extracts of this plant.

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