CHILE: Indigenous medicine from Chile's Mapuche Indians gains popularity in the country's pharmacies

Indigenous Chilean Indians have hit the high street with their herbal remedies, which are becoming popular amongst health conscious Chileans and tourists alike. Chileans are rediscovering the ancient herbal remedies of the Mapuche indigenous tribe, including a sexual energizer touted as a natural Viagra and other inexpensive alternative medicines. Chile's largest native ethnic group, the Mapuche, live mainly in the Temuco area of southern Chile, located 608 kilometres to the south of the capital, Santiago. The Mapuche, whose name means people of the earth, are famous for their fierce resistance to the Spanish conquest. Their modern-day population is relatively small, and indigenous culture is not as influential in Chile as in other Latin American countries. However, their culture has recently come into the spotlight thanks to the popularity and commercialisation of their herbal medicines. The Mapuche people have long used a wide variety of herbal remedies for everything from arthritis and acne to a lack of libido. The natural remedies got a boost four years ago when the Mapuche community took over the administration of the Maquehue Hospital in Temuco and set up a pharmacy project using regular doctors and Mapuche healers called machis. The machis set up traditional Mapuche wooden huts called rucas on the hospital grounds so that patients could opt for Mapuche remedies as well as modern medical treatments, with many taking advantage of both. Rodrigo Olivares who treats patients with Mapuche medicine explained why people are beginning to favour Mapuche treatments. "There has been a sea change with respect to natural medicine. People don't want to intoxicate themselves anymore with conventional medicine, they prefer natural things. Better still are our things, native plants. Obviously if you are given the choice of conventional medicine and natural medicine, you would prefer the one without any side-effects (the natural medicine)," he said. Outside of Temuco, the medicine has also grown in popularity. One of the most popular remedies, palwen, known as "Mapuche Viagra," was snatched up earlier this year by enthusiastic tourists attending a local song festival, who exhausted supplies of the aphrodisiac in the port town of Valparaiso. The Mapuche's have established a herbalist pharmacy venture, called Makelawen which is owned by Herbolaria de Chile (Herbalists of Chile) and a Mapuche trade organization. This chain has spread across the country, growing from one pharmacy with 50 clients to seven pharmacies, including four in the capital, Santiago. Makelawen now offers nearly 50 products, which are sold as liquid tinctures based on plant extracts. At 3.80 U.S. dollars (USD) a bottle, they are cheaper than most conventional medicines. Francisca Catrian works in one of the pharmacies in Santiago. She described the benefits she has derived from having always received Mapuche remedies. "They are cheap and affordable for everyone. Moreover, we, my ancestors, we never went to the doctor and I never had an injection, neither when I was born, nor when I was 3 years old - nothing, zero - and I am still alive!" she told Reuters. The Makelawen pharmacy does not look like an immediate threat to Chile's retail pharmacies, which are dominated by three major chains, but it is gaining followers, like Manuel Martinez. "All of the remedies are made from the fruits of the earth. People that have knowledge of their culture understand the idea of these medicines, the ignorant people do not. I have little cultural knowledge, but I get it (the importance of using such natural remedies)," he said. The herbal medicine trend has made many Chileans reclaim a part of their Indian heritage.

ITN Source | March 30, 2007

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