Monkey puzzle (pehuén)

Araucaria araucana

An ancient conifer that lives for more than a thousand years. The large, starchy seeds are a nourishing food; the resin was used on wounds.

Safety notes

An endangered species, protected in Chile and sacred to the Pewenche. Do not gather seeds in wild forests without the community's permission.

Cautions by tradition (1)

Healing traditions of the Americas: A protected, endangered species; only seeds from a sustainable source or with the community's permission.

Preparation

Seeds boiled, roasted or ground into flour; the resin externally.

Use in traditions

Pewen in Mapudungun; the Pewenche, 'people of the pewen', take their name from it. The seeds, ngülliw, were their staple food. Families gathered them in autumn and kept them dried, smoked or under water. Before the harvest they pray to the old man and the old woman of the pewen, and cutting down a tree is forbidden. The white resin was considered a wound remedy.

Applications

Use by tradition

How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.

Healing traditions of the Americas

Attributed effects

A nourishing staple food in winter; the resin was laid on wounds.

Preparation and amount

Boil the seeds or roast them in the ashes and shell them; grind dried seeds into flour for bread and soup.

Caution: A protected, endangered species; only seeds from a sustainable source or with the community's permission.

Ways to prepare herbs: Powder and kitchen

Sources

All herbs from South America →