Afternoon jungle walk

We went on a short trail of about an hour or so at around 11 am. On the trail, Jorge pointed out some interesting plants and their usage. Some of these we already knew from our previous trip into the amazon. We saw the (Epifita), its a parasite ivy. We also saw the Ajo Ajo or the Garlic tree, the bark of this tree tastes and smells like garlic and is used as a spice in the local food. The bark when rubbed on the skin acts as a mosquito repellent as well.
We also saw Tangarana ants. These live inside the hollow of the host tree and protect it from insects, mushrooms, fungus and even animals. The local indigenous people use these ants to cure fever. 20-30 of these ants when boiled in a liter of hot water and then drunk can cure fever. Just a tap on the tree trunk caused quite a few of them to come scurrying out to investigate. In the indigenous tribes, they tie the unfaithful to the tree and then hit the trunk hard to punish them.Read more