The best presents in the world can be found in a place you might not expect — the Amazon rainforest. Learn about the incredible trees that have (literally) given the gift of life to millions.
The Amazon may be a tropical climate, but there's still plenty of holiday season miracles to be found deep in the RAINFOREST. We're celebrating the natural gifts of the Amazon with our JUNGLE BELLS series — and today, we're starting strong with three medicinal trees.
Medical miracles — from the jungle
Lapacho tree: The bark from the Lapacho tree is often used within South American indigenous communities as an anti-fungal and cancer fighting resource. Components of the lapacho bark like lapachol, lapachone, and isolapachone are a subject of medicinal interest. These components have been found to inhibit infections.
Wasai tree: The purple roots of the Wasai tree are more than just beautiful — they are used as a potent treatment for kidney ailments; serving as a diuretic.
Cinchona tree: The source of quinine, Cinchona trees are truly a gift from the rainforest. Cinchona bark is ground and mixed with water (and sugar) to create a quinine drink that can treat malaria. This was actually the first malaria treatment — used as early as 1630.
Protect nature’s medicine, stop deforestation
The full medicinal potential of the Amazon rainforest’s trees hasn’t even been fully unwrapped yet. Only 5% of plants growing in the Amazon (including trees) have been studied for their medicinal qualities. But with the current rate of deforestation, it’s a race against time. 1.98 million hectares were deforested in the Amazon in 2022, the highest number since 2004. If we don't take action now, we stand to lose the Amazon — and all of its incredible gifts — by 2064.
Turn over a new leaf. Donate to VAKOVAKO.
