Jergon Sacha Rhizome

Dracontium Loretense

Main actions: antiviral, antivenin, cough suppressant, protease inhibitor
(typically used for viral infections), anti-inflammatory
Main uses: for snakebite; for viral infections (HIV, hepatitis, whooping cough,
influenza, parvovirus, and others); for upper respiratory problems (cough,
bronchitis, asthma, etc); for spider, bee, scorpion, and other venomous insect
bites; as a topical wound healer
Cautions: none.

Ethnobotanically, jergón sacha is considered a "signature plant": the plant's indigenous uses are directly related to its appearance. In this particular case, the trunk-like stem and its mottled coloring closely resembles a poisonous snake indigenous to the areas in which it grows. In Peru and Ecuador, the name of both snake and plant is jergón sacha and/or fer-de-lance. In Brazil the snake is named jararaca; the plant, erva-jararaca (jararaca herb). These common names refer to the highly poisonous Bothrops genus of snakes, several species of which are indigenous to the Amazon (including the common Bothrops jararaca, for which the plant is named).

Local villagers as well as Indian tribes throughout the Amazon rainforest use the large tuber or rhizome of the jergón sacha plant as an antidote for the bite of these snakes. In such a case, the tuber is chopped up quickly, immersed in cold water, and drunk. More tuber is chopped finely and placed in a large banana leaf, which is then wrapped around the bite area. This poultice is changed every hour or two; more of the tuber is eaten every 3-4 hours. The efficacy of this remedy is reputed to be quite high if employed immediately (up to an hour) after being bitten. In remote areas of the Amazon where no means exist to preserve snake antivenin that requires refrigeration (its exorbitant cost notwithstanding), this generations-old remedy has been developed out of necessity. Indian tribes in Guyana also employ it as an antidote for stingray wounds, spider bites, and for poison dart and arrow wounds (where the poison, called curare, is prepared with poisonous plant and animal parts, including snake and/or frog venom). Other Indian cultures believe that beating the legs and feet with the leaves and/or stems of jergón sacha will prevent snakes from biting them.

Jergón sacha made its way out of the jungle and into herbal medicine systems of South America for other purposes. In addition to snakebite, the powdered tuberous rhizome is taken internally for asthma, menstrual disorders, chlorosis, and whooping cough in Brazilian herbal medicine. The root powder is used topically for scabies and the juice of the fresh rhizome is applied externally to treat sores caused by blowflies (and put directly on the site of a snakebite). The whole plant is also decocted and put in baths for gout. Jergón sacha is also well known in current Peruvian herbal medicine systems; tablets, capsules, and tinctures of the rhizome can be found in many natural pharmacies and stores. It is touted there as a natural remedy for HIV/AIDS, cancerous tumors, gastrointestinal problems, hernias (as a decoction applied topically), hand tremors, heart palpitations, and to enhance immune function.

The use of jergón sacha for AIDS and HIV in Peru was fueled by several newspaper articles published in Peruvian newspapers and magazines beginning in the early 1990s. The subject of the articles was a Peruvian physician, Dr. Roberto Inchuastegui Gonzales, who was president of the Committee of AIDS and Transmissible Diseases at the Peruvian Institute of Social Security in Iquitos, Peru. The media reported that, in experiments with AIDS patients conducted from 1989 to 1993, the doctor administered two plant extracts with remarkable results. One was a rhizome extract of jergón sacha (D. peruviuanum) as an antiviral, and the other was an extract of two cat's claw vines (Uncaria tomentosa and U. guianensis, which are also featured in this book) as immunostimulants. Dr. Inchuastegui reported that a majority of HIV patients treated had tested negative for the HIV virus and returned to normal lives after taking these two plant extracts for an average of six months. He has yet to publish any clinical trials. His work in Iquitos with AIDS patients has surfaced periodically in news and media reports over the last decade which continues to purport the use of jergón sacha for HIV and other viruses. This has fueled the market in Peru for the sale of jergón sacha and, in the late 1990s, news of his work was disseminated in Eastern Europe.

Thousands of kilos of jergón sacha rhizome have been exported annually to Poland, Russia, and other countries since. This type of large scale sales necessitated cultivation methods to be developed for the plant. Since the entire rhizome is harvested (which destroys the plant), it isn't sustainable for wild harvesting in the rainforest. In the last five years, two Peruvian universities have developed sound cultivation methods for replanting jergón sacha into the rainforest as it is harvested. New venues - old coca plantations and previously deforested lands - were developed for its new market as a cash crop for local farmers in organic cultivation programs.

This information is gathered directly from:
https://rain-tree.com/jergon.htm