Shamanism in Ecuador

Virtually every Ecuadorian community has a man or woman who knows the healing properties of various plants, or who can diagnose and cure by correcting spiritual imbalances or undoing spells.

Healers are known by various Spanish names: curanderos (curers), brujos (witches), or hechiceros (sorcerers, witches). In the Sierra people might go to a local healer for a number of reasons: it might be because they have intestinal parasites, or because they believe an envious neighbor has cast a spell on them, or because they are looking for success in love or business. In addition, many people in the highlands have combined the Quichua belief in an inner and outer body, which must be kept in balance.

Alternative treatment

Healers rely on centuries of knowledge passed down from their ancestors. In ayahuasca rituals, a psychotropic plant is given to the patient, allowing the shaman to enter the sick person's body, find the illness, and cure it. These medicine men are well-respected members of their communities and are given credit for saving many tribes from death.

Natural remedies

The effectiveness of the spiritual healers depends entirely on your belief systems and on what kind of results you expect. It's worth bearing in mind that many Western drugs such as cocaine, curare and quinine come from plants that local healers know well and have used in their remedies for hundreds of years.