A Documentary on Medicinal Plants

Throughout my research on the value of medicinal plants, I stumbled upon this short documentary titled "Healing with the Herbs of Mother Earth." When conventional medicine is ubiquitous in our American culture, it can be easy to forget that many other cultures around the world depend on medicinal plants for their livelihood. Especially in the case of indigenous communities, as is the case in this film, plants are used to help and to heal people with infinite value. I recommend watching this film as a creative and informative expression of innate value in the products of the Earth.

In the film, daughter Irma Poma follows the medicinal plant lessons of her mother, Angelica Canchumani, in the Central Valley of Peru. As an indigenous healer, Angelica feels connected to the plants in the surrounding forest and the healing properties that they possess. The documentary follows the lifestyle of Angelica as she serves the ill people in her indigenous community. By showing the great value in natural healers, the film is able to highlight the importance of interaction with medicinal plants.

The film begins with an interview of Angelica’s daughter, who describes the traditional knowledge of her mother as one of the most coveted treasures in this world. Irma explains that she is intentionally learning from mother because she realizes that the traditional act of healing is slowly becoming a dying practice in the cities. As Irma follows her mother through the forest behind their home, she translates from the native Quechua to Spanish in order to explain each property of the plants that Angelica isolates as medicinal. Many of the plants have healing properties for fear or spiritual heart conditions, which -- contrasting to many western cultures -- are viewed a serious illness. From the plants that they gather, the mother and daughter plant a garden in their backyard. They describe the growth of the medicine as a symbiotic process, where the plants need each other in close proximity in order to thrive. After a few months, once their plants are strong and full, Angelica performs a healing ritual on an eight year old girl who is stricken with fear. Through the use of tinctures from the plants the intestines of a sacrificial guinea pig, Angelica is able to understand the struggles of the child and saves her from the crippling fear. 

This documentary has the potential to be very influential to viewers curious about natural medicine. The mother and daughter protagonists of the film highlight on the power of knowledge within a community, where the females are the healers and sources of health. All of the plants that they describe are abundant and native to that area, showing innate value in their propagation and use, but also value in sustainable, local use of natural lifeforms. The film encourages the wildness of nature, the conservation of nature, and the spiritual connections with ourselves to the land.

The film can be found for free online via this weblink: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/7386/Healing-with-the-Herbs-of-Mother-Earth