During the 5 days, we went on several hiking trips in the jungle where we learned about the various trees, plants, and animals, and what we can do with them:
- Garlic Tree: There is a tree (not a plant) who's bark taste exactly like garlic (strong garlic). Similar to the garlic bulbs that we are used to, the garlic tree bark is used to flavour food or can be made into tea for medicinal purposes.
- Water Vine: There is a special vine that when cut, pours out clean drinkable water. This water also has medicinal properties.
- Palm Heart: We learned how to identify and extract a palm heart from the palm tree….FYI, the palm heart tastes AMAZING when fresh :)
- Balsa Tree: Used to make local rafts.
- The bark of a certain tree can be used to make very strong ropes.
- Purple dye bush: When the LIGHT-GREEN leaves of this bush are ground up, they produce a permanent DARK-PURPLE dye (didn't believe it till we saw it!).
- Perfume Tree: There is a tree that has a very fragrant sap that indigenous women use as a perfume.
- Tooth Brush: There is a plant who's stem tastes like cloves, which they use these to clean their teeth.
- Ant: There are ants that can be used as stitches for large cuts. You can pick up the ant and let it bite the wound closed with its large mandible, then you remove the remaining body of the ant and leave the head clamped on the wound until it's healed.
- Bullet Ants: Highly venomous, but some indigenous people used it to cure arthritis. Apparently they allow the bullet ant to bite them in the area that is aching (ie. the knee). They then get very sick and suffer from fever for 4-5 days, but after that the arthritis is completely gone!
