Tachigalia cavipes (Spr. ex Bth.) Macbride in Field Mus. Publ. 
Bot. 13, pt. 3 (1943) 127. 
CoLomBIA: Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Apaporis, Jerijerimo. July 8, 1951. R. 
E. Schultes et I. Cabrera 12981. — Rio Kananari. September 29, 1951. Schultes 
et Cabrera 14690. — Rio Vaupés, Mitu and vicinity. H. Garcia- Barriga, R. E. 
Schultes et H. Blohm 16061. Comisaria del Amazonas, Rio Miritiparana. May 
8, 1952. Schultes et Cavrera 16463. Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Apaporis, Raud 
al Yayacopi. August 18, 1952. Schultes et Cabrera 16963.— Rio Apaporis, 
Jinogojé. August 22, 1952. Schultes et Cabrera 26997.— Rio Piraparana, 
middle course. October 1, 1952. Schultes et Cabrera 17137. — Rio Vaupés, near 
Mitu. November 13, 1952. Schultes et Cabrera 18409. — Rio Piraparana. June 
1-8, 1970. P. Silverwood-Cope sine num. 
The Bara Maku Indians of the Rio Piraparana, a poorly 
known nomadic group with an extensive knowledge of plant 
medicines, call this plant wewitkatku (“no children medicine”) 
and use it as an antifertility agent. There is no indication of how 
the plant is employed. 
The anthropologist, Silverwood-Cope, collected with the same 
native name and the same antifertility use two different plants: 
Unonopsis veneficiorum (see above) and Tachigalia cavipes. It is 
possible that the Bara-Maku do have the same name for these 
two plants if the two are similarly used; it may also be possible 
that these Indians employ the two plants together for antifertility 
purposes. 
Various tribes in the vicinity of Mitu use the powdered bark to 
“dry up” cankers of the mucous membrane of the mouth caused 
presumably by excessive use of coca. The Yukunas of the Rio 
Miritiparana value a tea of the leaves rubbed vigourously on 
swollen joints (arthritis?) as an anti-inflammatory. 
This well known plant is called hoo-be ’-geen (“flower of fierce 
ants”) by the Makunas; muin, muin-wan -shee ‘-pe-no by the 
Puinaves; ka-roo ’-wo by the Yukunas; and wa-we -ra by the 
Barasanas. 
There is no chemical information on constituents of this 
interesting genus. 
Tachigalia myrmecophila (Ducke) Ducke in Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio 
Jan. 3 (1922) 91. 
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