Tobacco is a strong medicine

I would like to share one last special situation of my time in Ecuador. One weekend we went to Tena, a little village on the Amazonian border. We stayed with a Kichwa family, enjoying the humble, natural and very friendly atmosphere.

Fausto, son of the family, guided us through their personal piece of jungle, introducing us to the beautiful virgin rainforest and some of its secrets. Only one night before we arrived, the family's father had received a treatment of an experienced shaman. In a cleansing ritual he was first bathed with water that had boiled with fresh tobacco leaves - then he was covered by powder of dried tobacco leaves from his head to toes. The treatment took no longer than 30 minutes, yet he felt incredibly exhausted afterwards. He slept all day the next day - we met him only in the evening - he told us he didn't want to eat anything, his stomach was feeling sick.
For me this story was an eye-opener. The shaman had applied the tobacco only externally. The man did not even smoke, swallow or gurgle with the tobacco - but still it had such an impact on him that he was bound to his bed for more than a day.
In his family there is nobody who ever misused tobacco. As Indians, they are most conscious about the strong effect the tobacco has on the human body.
Isn't it incredible how this medicine is used as a daily consumption product by so many people?!
Well, I can tell you that my personal interest in smoking has decreased enormously!
Until now I stand strong as a non-smoker. ;)
Here you can see the tobacco leaves being dried and conserved traditionally hanging within the never ending smoke of the cooking fire.