Francisco Montes Shuna: Shamanic perfume and holistic therapy in Sachamama Ethnobotanical Garden, Peruvian Amazon Rainforest

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El Mundo Magico

Sachamama Ethnobotanical Garden:

Holistic Therapy with Shamanic Perfume

Scented flower water, prepared by a dietera in Sachamama, for ritual baths

Perfume, Flower Bath and Baño de Limpie

As part of the holistic approach to healing in Sachamama, special perfumed clay applications are used to cleanse the body and the aura of a patient. A fragrant perfumed essence is obtained macerating in alcohol twelve different varieties of rainforest flowers. The perfume has a hunting, exquisite, delicate scent. The tradition and formula of the cleansing through perfume has at its core the shamanic lore of this part of the Amazon.

Don Francisco Montes Shuña inherited this knowledge from his grandmother, Trinidad Vilces Peso, a powerful curandera - a sumi runa - from the Capanahua people of the Rio Ucayali, since he was only five, and further developed this formula through dieting with the perfume.

The perfume is thought to be beneficial to the cleansing of the aura, and in purifying the body and one's energy field before and after the intake of ayahuasca. It may also be used on its own - sprinkled with a schacapa fan - or mixed with clay and flowers and thus applied all over the body during the baño de limpie (cleansing bath).

Currently, dieteros - e.g. those who are following the diet with plantas maestras - are in charge of preparing the clay purification baths with perfume and flowers, as part of their apprenticeship.

Agua de Florida, Ayahuasca and Tabu'

Many years ago the curanderos used a natural perfume, called agua de florida (flower water). The reason for this name lies in the fact that In the old days it was a special scent actually prepared with flowers and water, and used as a perfume in the ayahuasca ceremony. Now days, an industrial essence is used. The modern agua de florida, which still retain a much appealing fragrance, is used by most curanderos to disperse negative influences and malevolent energies or evil spirits during the ayahuasca ceremony. It is usually finely sprayed over a patient, or an object, with the intent of cleansing and purification. Some old shamans are also used to drink it!

Tabu’ is another perfume still employed by today's curanderos, especially - but not only - for love magic rituals (pusanga). It is only available in industrial format, but once was made with a pure essence of flowers. Don Francisco's grandmother, Trinidad, used to add a few drops of it in the ayahuasca brew.

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