Table of Contents with Direct Access Links

 

CID Institute Family Museum

Waldmuseum Natural History Cabinet Collection

ETHNOBIOLOGICAL COLLECTION

ethnomedicine

ethnobotany

ethnozoology

Text Edition, Design and Photographies

Peter Zanger - Diplomated Biologist

CID Institute Weilmuenster

www.cid-institut-de.blogspot.com

10th of November 2020

Latest Actualization : Wednesday, 12.10.2022, 14:30 p.m.

        

Ethnomedicine

 

" SIETE CUEROS " - REMEDY

Colombia / Santa Marta

Glass container filled with dried wood splinters from seven different types of wood with medicinal properties. The vessel is filled with Rum for use so that an alcoholic extract of the active ingredients stored in the wood is generated. The " Siete Cueros " ("Seven Skins") Remedy is used externally to treat wounds, strains, muscular pain, skin deseases and can also be ingested against colds, cough, flu and indigestion.

" SEA - SNAIL - OIL " - OINTMENT

Colombia / Santa Marta

Salve with healing properties against Rheumatism, Arthritis, Varicose Vein, Bruises and for latter use as Analgesic, Skin Care, Skin Refresher and Sun-Ray-Protector.

Thermoactive Healing Cream with essential extracts and Cannabis ingredients (Cannabis sativa) for the treatment of colds, muscle and tendon pain, bruises ans sprains

Description : CID Botanical Garden Nature History Notes II 7th January 2018

Thermoactive Healing Cream with essential extracts and Coca ingredients (Erythroxyloum coca) for the treatment of colds, muscle and tendon pain, bruises ans sprains

Description : CID Botanical Garden Nature History Notes II 7th January 2018

Himalaya Rock Salt

Sal de Lahore - Sal del Himalaya - Sal de Roca

Rock Salt from Punjab Region in Pakistan. The Himalaya Rock Salt is harvested primarily in Khewra Salt Mine, Jehlum District, Pakistan, in the foothills of the Salt Range Mountains of the Pothohar Plateau. The production amount for 2015/16 is given by the producer as 419,201.033 tons. 

The mineral composition of Kewhra Mine Salt consists in 96-99 % Sodium-Chloride (NaCl) equivalent as cooking salt. The impurities consist in Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Chromium, Magnesium, Sulfate, beneath others. Some pink or red colour giving impurities (Iron, Iron Oxide) have to be retrieved from the salt by purification process before consuming it. Those impure salts are not suitable for industrial use or human consume without previous purification.

The rock salt is used in Artcraft, for example to produce salt-lamps that distribute an orange light and sometimes are used in rituals.

References also mention the use of Himalaya Rock Salt to line the walls of Spa (Therapeutic Thermal Bath Rooms), motivated by the believe, that the salt accumulates in the air for purposes of salt-inhalation spa-treatments - compareable to the salt-inhaltion treatments in german "graduation-towers" (Gradier-Werke, Salinen) in certain Spa-towns (Bad Nauheim, Bad Salzhausen, Bad Salzschlirf, etc.).

Rock Salt Slabs are also used to produce cooking plates, dinner serving dishes or drinking glasses. The latter are known als "Tequila-Shot-Glasses" where inside small amounts transfer to the drink and alter it´s flavour profile.

A certain ritual meaning is attributed to the Himalaya Rock Salt also in it´s depiction as "kosher salt" what assigns to it an importance for traditional kosher food preparation ceremonies in Jewish culture. 

The comercial distribution of Himalaya Rock Salt in Germany is surrounded by the myth, that the salt generates specific health benefits for the body and organism of it´s consumer. This concept is strenghtend by the principal believe in health-beneficious effects of nature products inside the population.

The second image displays the amazing hygroscopic capacity of the salt to absorb air humidity in it´s body. It shows the water amount released over one night from the salt block, what documents also the unnatural high air humidity inside the CID Institute Museum saloons.

Popular Magic 

Popular Magic has an important role in native societies, where believe and confidence in traditional healing systems is stronger than the attachment to modern, industrial medicine theories and products, that mainly consist in substitution of human beings basic needs. Also the access to modern industrial medicine products and techniques requires a great amount of economic ressources that cannot be delivered by population groups from low level financial ressource management. Peoples Medicine products and techniques are integrated in a whole worldwide system of traditional knowledge about healing and strengthening each other without the need to recover high level financial ressources. 

ATTRACT CLIENT SOAP

Product from Venezuela

The Soap is used for ritual washing by a single person that wants to enter in contact with another

MUCHA GENTE LOTION

Product from Venezuela

A Perfume Lotion with similar function as Deodorant Sprays that is used before entering meeting places where greater amounts of people access

DISINHIBITION BATH AND OPENER

Product from Venezuela

Shower Lotion with Magic Significance connected to the believe, that the user will be disinhibited to enter in contact with another person by using this product

RON MADERA (RON COMPUESTO)

Product from Dominican Republic

Infusion Medicament composed by wood-splinters in a glass bottle that have to get overpoured with alcohol (mostly Rum or Whiskey) to extract the medical properties from the timber parts. To the homemade beverage are attributed different healing medical properties depending on the timber species used for the preparation. Mostly the "Composed Rum" - Remedies are used to treat gastrointernal sufferings but also might be used to treat external skin sufferings or wounds.

 

 

 

 

Ethnobotany

 

Delonix regia - Fruit Shell

 Nicaragua

Delonix regia (FABACEAE : CESALPINEAE) is a intense red flowering tree native from Madagascar distributed world wide in tropical regions as ornamental tree. In Nicaragua commonly it is named MALINCHE, FLAMBOYAN, ACACIA or ARBOL AMOR. Vernacular english names are FLAME TREE, FLAME OF THE FOREST,  ROYAL PONCIANA or FLAMBOYANT.

In Ethnomedicine parts of the tree are used against Anemia, Fever and Malaria. To this end the bark is applied macerated to the joints, when they suffer from rheumatism (Mexico : Puebla, Veracruz, Baja California Sur). In Michoacan, the cooking of the flowers administrated orally is used for respiratory problems such as coughs and bronchial asthma. 

Delonix regia flowers contain flavonoids, camferol, 3-0-beta-genobioside, 3-0-beta-glucoside of cyanidin and quercetin, the latter also present in the seed. Triterpene, lupeol and beta-sitosterol.3 have been identified in the trunk cortex. . 

In Ethnobiology the tree is surrounded by mysticism and tales, some of them with a religious backdrop, mostly referring to the intense red colour of his blossoms and it´s parallel symbolic meanings.

Espeletia sp. 1 - Flowers

Colombia

Espeletia sp. 2 - Flowers

Colombia

Ethnozoology

 

Armadillo Carapace Armor

Dasypus novemcinctus  - Nine-banded Armadillo

Nicaragua

The fat of the " Tatú " is used for medicinal purposes. From it, homemade syrups are made for coughs, bronchitis, asthma, rheumatism, bumps, sores etc.

The carapace of this animal regionally is used as ornament for Fashion Acessoirs (Handbags, etc.), as Music Instrument (Charango) - Ornament and as fetish in Vodoo Magic.

  

Queens of Leaf Cutter Ant Genus Atta

Winged and Un-Winged Specimen

Colombia / Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - Minca / 20.th June 1991

Leaf Cutter Ants from Atta genus embody greater importance in human-animal interactions on several levels of meaning. These ants native in Central and South America form nest communities composed by up to 5 million individuals. Nests might extend over 80 square meters and reach 5 meters profound in earth. Inside the nest the ant community grows for it´s nutrition fungus on leafs that they collect in their surroundings in amazing amounts. By that way an ant nest community might defoliate a complete tree or a complete field with fresh upgropwn seedlings in only one single night. This fact attributes an enormeous economic importance to them in sites where a competition with human horticulture, agriculture or fruit growing exists. Atta species are one of the most targetted species of Plant Protection or Pest Control Industries and their products. 

The Atta Ants are commonly known as Harvest Ants, Cutter Ants or Leaf-Cutter Ants but carry dozens of regionally used indigenous names and nick-names. Scientifically they are classified in 41 species in South and Central America and 2 species in North America.

Their economic importance and the danger they incarnate not only for indigenous, small scale food production have attributed to them a high range in southern American indigenous mythologies and animistic believes, where the ant generally is described with great respect as powerful and intelligent. In Mexico the Coral Snake is named vernacular "Mother of the Ants" (TZINCANANTLA) for moving inside their nests. Eating leaf cutter ants is coincident with the meaning of strengthening your sexual power, using them as aphrodisiac. The latter follows probably the anthropophag philosophy, that the person, who ingests the body of his enemy takes over the skills and powers of the latter.

In certain regions of several Central and South American countries the Atta ants have an cyclic importance as additional food respectively extraordinary delicacy. The ants emerge from their nests in great numbers to start their nuptial flight during certain weeks of always the same month every year. During these days indigenous peasants swarm out to collect or pick up by hand the great bodies of the queens and use them for food preparation of diverse dishes. Often they become toasted and eaten as crunchy, spicy delicacy. By that way the traditional peasants reduce considerably the number of new build up Atta-nests, because every single queen carries in her body the whole number of eggs necessary for the foundation of her next tribe.

Mexico - Hormigas Chicatanas

Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Guanajato, Puebla, Morelos.

For consumption toasted as "chips" (botana) or mixed cooked with chilies and lemon inside traditional dishes as Chilmole, Pipian or Tlatonile. 

Guatemala - Zompopos de Mayo

Toasted on "Comal" cookware and consumed with butter, salt and lemon, or as Tortillas with Guacamole.

Colombia - Hormiga Arriera, Hormiga Cortadora, Hormiga Culona Santandereana

Santander

The harvesting collection starts in November with the beginning of rain season and the simultaneous start of Cutter Ant Queen nuptial flight. Centers of collection are the towns of Barichara, Curiti, Guane, San Gil and Villanueva. The ants are prepared roasted or fried in oil with spices, packed in small plastic bags with 6 ants each and sold in specialized shops regionally or in the capital Bogotá, where the "Hormigas Santandereanas" can be aquired in "Cigarrerías" for example along the Carrera Caracas and Decima in Bogotá Chapinero for Christmas and New Year, often also used as marriage present because of their aphrodisiac effect. Recently the ant-harvests seem to reduce due to over-exploitation and dissappearance of ant nests.

Bolivia - Tujos

Larecaja Province, City of La Paz 

Traditionally ants are collected with the start of the rain-season, conincident with 1st of November and "All the Saints"-festival "Todos los Santos". They are traditionally prepared fried and served with rice, plantain banana and yuca (maniok).

Brazil - Tanajuras, Ica

The ants are elaborated into a flour called Tanajura Flour, Also prepared fried with oil or manteca-butter or alternative with salt, garlic and yuca-flour.