infections (I, arrick e^/ ^;/. 1979; Kaplan (V^/. 1980). The Waorani 

 wereafHicted b\ external parasites, fungal infections, poor denti- 

 tion and undefined fevers as well as one of the highest rates of 

 snakebite in the vNorld (Theakston et ai 1981; Larrick Larrick et 

 ai 1978). For each of these conditions, the Waorani had herbal 

 remedies, but it is particularlx noteworthy that almost the entire 

 Waorani pharmacopoeia treats only the few endemic afflictions 

 readily identified by extensi\e biomedical studies. Only 35 of the 

 plants that we collected are used medicinally, and, of these, 30 are 

 employed to treat no more than six conditions: fungal infections, 

 snakebite, dental problems, fevers, tropical warble fly larvae 

 {Derniatohius honiinus). and various stings. By comparison, 

 Pinkley collected 57 medicinal plants from the neighboring 

 Cofan, and those plants were used to treat 27 different ailments 

 (Pinkley 1973). We have discussed this highly speclali/ed use of 

 medicinal plants and the theoretical implications of Waorani 

 ethnomedical practices elsewhere (Davis and Yost, in press). 

 Throughout the northwest Amazon, hallucinogenic plants are 



an important feature of religious life. The Waorani use hallucino- 

 gens, but the species employed and the associated ritual are 

 peculiar. The Waorani have two hallucinogens, Banisteriopsis 

 niun'caiaiC'dw) Cuatracasasand an as yet undescribed basidioli- 

 chen of the genus Dictyonenia. The former is morphologically 

 very similar to other commonlv' used psychoactive species such as 

 ayahuasca, Banisteriopsis Caapi (Spr. ex Griseb.) Morton, but it 

 has never been studied pharmacologically (Garcia-Barriga, 1975). 

 On the other hand, no basidiolichen has yet been reported as an 

 hallucinogen. According to some Waorani, an infusion prepared 

 from the lichen and various mosses caused severe headaches and 

 confusion when ingested and was used by a shaman to send a 

 curse on a person to kill him or her. In comparison with the 

 practices of other Amazonian tribes the Waorani use of hallucin- 

 ogens isclearlvanomolous. While others imbibe hallucinogens to 

 fulfill the collective needs of the group, the Waorani intoxication 

 may be characterised as aggressive, anti-social and highly indi- 

 vidualistic (Davis and Yost, in press). 



A final point worth noting concerning Waorani ethnobotany is 

 the extensive use of wild food plants. After a year among the 

 Kofan, Pinkley reported 24 wild foods and 25 cultivated or semi- 



163 



