Far from lab coat and face mask territory, a group of indigenous healers with feather and leaf headdresses is working its way up the Amazon river, looking for medicinal plants to treat the new coronavirus.
The rapid spread of the virus in Amazonas, where more than 20,000 people have been infected and 1,400 have died, has overwhelmed hospitals and forced authorities to dig mass graves for the dead.
It has also raised fears for the region’s indigenous peoples, who have a tragic history of being decimated by diseases brought in from the outside world. The virus has infected 40 indigenous groups, with 537 positive cases and 102 deaths, according to the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples’ Association.The Satere Mawes’ remedies include teas made from the bark of the carapanauba tree, which has anti-inflammatory properties; from the saracuramira tree, an anti-malarial; and ingredients such as mango peel, mint and honey.
A child from Brazil’s satere mawe indigenous community sits next to a man preparing medicinal herbs to treat coronavirus infections. Image: Ricardo Oliveira/AFPNot that they are relying on the city’s health services.“But we’ve learned to fend for ourselves.”
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