An Amazonian Traditional for Arthritis & Bursitis

Choo-choo-wáso

Choo-choo-Wáso
(Maytenus macracarpa [Past.])

Concentrated Tincture of the
Inner Bark of Chuchuguazo

Code 318A -- Price: $19.95
8 fl. oz. (240 ml.)

Dosage: 3 ml., 2X Daily
(One bottle lasts 40 days)

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Summarized Description: Choo-choo-Wáso (TM) is an herbal tincture made from the inner bark of "chuchuguazo" (its common name in Pastazan Shuar), a large canopy tree found in the Amazon in Ecuador and Peru (where it is called "chuchuasi" or "chuchuasha.") [ 1 ] It is one of our Amazonian traditionals. [ 2 ] The most common indigenous use of chuchuguazo in the Amazon is the treatment of arthritis -- for which many people have reported success in our travels through the Amazon. See Protocol and Usage section below.


Choo-choo-Wáso (TM) is a potent herbal tincture traditional from the Amazon, commonly used to treat primarily arthritis and bursitis conditions; and secondly, general bone pain and stomach ache. Our version of this product is made with puro (grain alcohol made from sugar cane) and can be consumed fresh or after heating in a tea pan to flash off the alcohol.
Like many alcohol-based herbal tinctures, many will find formula overpowering without the addition of honey, molasses or other sweetener.



Uses & Protocols
The following uses and protocols are well-established among the Shuar of the Ecuadorean oriénte. As is the case with other Amazonian traditionals, please note that these are indigenous uses. Additionally, the use of this product is supported by the widespread sale of chuchuguazo bark in the "féria libres" (open farmer markets) of Ecuador. This ethnobotanical information is provided as a guideline to how others use this product.
Dosage: Begin with three milliliters (slightly over one half teaspoon), 2X daily -- taken before breakfast and lunch. (The traditional dose in the Amazon calls for a "cucharita" (Spanish for teaspoon) taken before breakfast, lunch, and dinner for ten days to eliminate arthritis and bursitis . . . a claim that needs to be researched. For our part, we have already interviewed numerous users who attest to its general effectiveness for, as they say here, "bone pain".)

Contraindications
Similiar to other Amazonian traditionals, the contraindications for this product are primarily dietary: during treatment period, do not consume pork, cow's meat, chicken, or sea fish. Freshwater fish is alright.
As is the case with all herbal tinctures, be sure to consult your physician first if you are taking any prescribed medications. This product contains alcohol, which may be contraindicated with a prescription you may be taking.

Shelf-Life
This herbal tincture has a functional shelf-life that is guaranteed to be in excess of four years from the date of purchase.
To U.S. Users: This product have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Bienvenidos a Pastaza
Sourcing From
The Amazon
All the materials used to make our Choo-choo-wáso are wild-crafted and harvested from deep in the provinces of Pastaza and Moreno Santiago, near the Peruvian border. There are no cultivated varieties. Click photo to enlarge.

Question Over
Identification
In his extensive botanical treatise, Medicinal Plants of Latin America, Dr. James Duke laments the variety of species covered by the same term "chuchuhausi" (under "Heisteria acuminata (Humb. & Bonpl.) Engl.)", p. 350). The phonetical proximity of this term, presumably Peruvian, to "chuchuguaso" (i.e. only the final vowel makes it sound different) alerted us to its relation.
We freely admit that because of the isolated area where we are getting the particular tree variety we use to make this product, that it might be an unnamed species under either genus "Heisteria" or "Maytenus." However, we chose to use it because it has a long-standing history of usage by the peoples in that area. There have not been any reports of side effects or adverse reactions. Its place in the indigenous community there is tried and true.
Our choice of "Maytenus macracarpa" is based on the close relation of our plant to one of the same physical characteristics in Peru. It not only has similar physical characteristics, but has the same intended use, traditional manner of preparation, etc.
Interestingly, Duke provides information on two other species of the genus "Maytenus", (family: "Celastraceae"). Neither of those two species, Mayten (Maytenus boaria Molina) or Holy Thorn (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek) match those of the tree in question, or any of its parts.
Mayten has native applications as a purgative and febrifuge, with no mention as an anti-arthritic, while Holy Thorn has wide-ranging uses in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay -- among them as an aphrodisiac and abortifacient -- none of which apply to this plant bark and its common usage.