Chondrodendron tomentosum
Chondrodendron tomentosum
Safety & Hazards
The root contains a number of alkaloids and is much used by the indigenous peoples of the region to make curare[ 46 Title Dictionary of Economic Plants. Publication Author Uphof. J. C. Th. Publisher Weinheim Year 1959 ISBN - Description An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader. ]. This is not a true poison, rather an extremely powerful muscle relaxant that can make the victim unable to move for a considerable period. Death from curare poison is caused by asphyxia, because the muscles become so relaxed that the muscles operating the diaphragm and lungs stop functioning. Interestingly, it only works if the poison gets into the bloodstream; ingesting curare poison (and even eating the meat of curare-poisoned animals) has no toxic effect since it isn't absorbed in the stomach[ 318 Title Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database Publication Author Website http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc. ].
Botanical Description
Pareira is a woody climbing plant with stems that are sometimes 10cm thick at its base and can climb up to 30 metres high into the canopy of the rainforest[ 318 Title Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database Publication Author Website http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc. ]. Its large heart-shaped leaves have a soft silky underside made up of tiny white hairs, giving the plant the common name of velvet leaf[ 318 Title Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database Publication Author Website http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc. ]. The plant is commonly gathered from the wild for local medicinal use and to make an arrow poison called curare[ 318 Title Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database Publication Author Website http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc. ]. The plant is also gathered for use in both herbal and conventional medicine and is often exported for these purposes[ 318 Title Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database Publication Author Website http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc. ].