Amazonian Plant Medicines · Guide Index

Amazonian Plant Medicines: The Complete Guide

The traditional plant — and one animal — medicines of the Amazon, each with its own lineage and use. Choose a medicine below to open its full guide, or head straight to the shop.

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Simon Scott, founder of Shamanic Supply
Updated 16 July 2026 · A directory of our medicine guides
✓ Sourced directly from the tribes we partner with
An Indigenous Amazonian family making rapé — grinding and sifting the fine powdered snuff medicine by hand through cloth sieves on a wooden porch
Rapé made by hand — an Amazonian family grinding and sifting the fresh snuff to the right fine consistency.
In short

"Amazonian shamanic medicines" is a family of traditional preparations — snuffs, eye drops, resins, barks and one frog secretion — used by Amazonian peoples in ceremony and daily life for grounding, focus and connection. They are cultural and spiritual traditions, not approved medical treatments. This page is your index to each one.

The directory

The Medicines of the Amazon, Plant by Plant

Each of these has its own dedicated, honestly-written guide — covering what it is, how the tribes traditionally work with it, what the evidence does and doesn't show, and how to use it with care. Pick one to go deeper, or visit its collection in the shop.

Rapé (Hapé) A fine ceremonial snuff of jungle tobacco and alkaline tree ash, blown into the nostrils through a kuripe or tepi for grounding and focus.
Sananga Golden eye drops from the root bark of Tabernaemontana sananho, used traditionally to sharpen perception and clear panema.
Bobinsana A flowering riverbank tree (Calliandra angustifolia) taken as tea, tincture or rapé; a gentle "plant teacher" of the heart in Amazonian tradition.
Kambô A secretion of the giant monkey tree frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), used in a traditional Amazonian cleansing rite sometimes called "warrior medicine."
Dragon's Blood The deep-red sap of Croton lechleri (sangre de grado), used traditionally on the skin and as an Amazonian folk remedy.
Copaiba A resin-oil tapped from Copaifera trees, long valued in Amazonian tradition and widely used today in balms and cosmetics.
Mulungu The bark of the coral tree (Erythrina mulungu), used in Brazilian folk tradition as a calming botanical for unwinding and settling into restful sleep.
Palo Santo "Holy wood" (Bursera graveolens), burned as a fragrant cleansing smoke across South America.

Guides in Progress

We're still writing full guides for a few more traditional medicines — Yopo (the visionary Anadenanthera snuff), Mapacho (sacred Amazonian tobacco) and Nissural (the healing smoke herbs). While we finish them, you can explore Yopo as a Yaminawá rapé blend in the shop.

Where to Start

New to all this?Rapé is the most approachable entry point — grounding, non-visionary and used daily across the Amazon.
Something gentleSananga and bobinsana are quiet, grounding medicines to begin a practice with intention.
See everythingThe full range of tribal medicines, tools and blends in one place.

Approaching These Medicines with Respect

Engaging with Amazonian medicines calls for reverence, patience and a willingness to learn. Each one carries a lineage — understanding a medicine's origin and ceremonial context deepens the relationship with it. Source from makers who work directly with the tribes; start gently and progress slowly; and for the stronger medicines, seek out experienced guidance in a safe, supportive setting. Approached this way, these traditions are met on their own terms — as living cultural practices, carried across generations.

These are living traditions, carried hand to hand by the peoples who keep them. Explore with curiosity, humility and care.
Continue exploring
What Is Rapé (Hapé)? → The Amazon Rainforest Biome → Sananga Eye Drops: Benefits & Uses → All articles & guides →
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About the author

Simon Scott is the founder of Shamanic Supply, which he started in 2015. Over the past decade he has travelled repeatedly to the Amazon to work face-to-face with the peoples who gather and prepare these botanicals — building the direct, fair-trade sourcing relationships behind everything the shop carries. This guide draws on that first-hand contact and on the published research.

Last updated 16 July 2026

These statements have not been evaluated by any medicines regulatory authority. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Content is provided for educational and cultural purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.