Raos: Teachers Plants Clara Best Núñez The Amazonian people use plants as a means of defense, to treat diseases and epidemics and even for the development of people in community life. Jacques Tournon makes reference in his book The Plants, the Rao and their spirits the following: There are rao that are medicinal plants, others that would not be considered medicinal in other cultures: plants to change states of consciousness (psychotropic and hallucinogenic), toxic plants, for fishing and hunting. ” (p.47) The word rao comes from Shipibo Konibo language to indicate when a plant is a teacher. The raos are not only healing plants but every plant has power. In that sense, there are two varieties of rao plants: the Jakon rao are remedies to cure and heal-jakoma rao that are [...]