Ayahuma — Couroupita guianensis, Cannonball Tree (aya-ooh-ma) Time can be a great healer, but sometimes we need a helping hand to move forward and let go of the past. We often hold on to negative emotions that we can’t seem to shake, keeping us bound to moments in time that no longer serve us. Connecting with this tree can help cleanse the past, freeing stuck emotions and unifying the fragments of self that became trapped in those moments. In doing so, vitality can return to your spirit. Ayahuma teaches acceptance and peace, allowing you to see your past in a new light — to recognise the positive lessons and personal growth that emerged from difficult challenges. After an emotional shock, we may feel fragile or vulnerable. Connect with the medicine spirit of this tree — a headless giant — for both support and protection. Allow its spirit to repair your energetic body with warm, revitalising energy and to shield your body with the healing strength of its flowers. The colour associated with this essence is orange — warm, uplifting, and full of vitality. Each essence has been prepared with its own medicine song, an icaro. Icaros are a form of communication between the shaman and the spirit world, used to set the healing intention and to ask the tree for assistance. Each essence is uniquely created by selecting certain qualities of the tree and calling forth its medicine through the icaro. Other traditional usesAyahuma can grow up to approximately 55 metres in height. It is named the cannonball tree due to its large, round fruits that resemble cannonballs. These fruits are inedible, but in the Peruvian Amazon the pulp is used for its antibacterial and antifungal properties to treat skin conditions and disinfect wounds. The bark can be prepared to treat common colds and stomach upsets. The young leaves are chewed for toothache relief. A mixture of the fruit and bark is used to reduce inflammation and muscular pain. The dried fruit can be powdered to treat hair loss. Ayahuma produces striking flowers in shades of white, red, orange, and pink. It is considered a sacred teacher plant, used by shamans for its spiritual and curative qualities. It may be included as part of a shamanic dieta or used as an admixture to Ayahuasca.
