THE PANTI MEDICINAL TRAIL

American herbalist and founder of the Panti Rainforest Medicinal Trail, Rosita Arvigo investigates the curative properties of tropical plants.

In the middle of the exuberant tropical jungles of western Belize, the Panti Rainforest Medicinal Trail gently meanders for approximately 500 meters through a sea of green trees and can be easily explored without a guide.

Text and photos by Chris Mackey

At the beginning of the trail, nothing seems particularly out of the ordinary until small, hand-painted sign—describing a plant or tree's unique chemistry and their uses in traditional Maya healing—start appearing. A thorny palm takes on a new importance when you realize that it's the "Give and Take Palm," valuable because its inner bark is used to stop a hemorrhage and the wild poinsettia becomes both useful and beautiful when you discover that it increases the milk production of nursing mothers.

    The trail was set up by Dr. Rosita Arvigo and her husband, Dr. Greg Shropshire in 1987 on part of their 35-acre farm located by the Macal River, 16 kilometers. from San Ignacio in Belize's Cayo District. Originally planning to set up a natural healing clinic, the couple named the farm Ixchel, after the ancient Maya goddess of healing.

    Not long after her 1981 arrival in Belize, Arvigo heard stories about a Maya medicine man called Eligio Panti. The Maya have a vast knowledge of the healing powers of the jungle and have been using herbs and plants to cure diseases for thousands of years. Shamans, or medicine men, occupy a revered place in Maya society and can relieve common maladies like colds and stomach aches, as well as treat more serious problems such as rheumatism and impotency.

    Determined to work with Panti, Arvigo called on him every week for a year, offering to help him collect plants and tend patients. Finally, Panti agreed to take her on as a student. For more than 10 years, they worked together collecting plants, mixing medicines and caring for patients, who came from as far away as Mexico City, until Panti's death in February, 1996.

    Considered one of Central America's greatest modern-day shamans, Panti gave his name to the Panti Rainforest Medicinal Trail. He not only fully integrated Arvigo into the world of Maya healing by teaching her the medicinal properties of thousands of jungle plants, but also taught her Maya prayers and ceremonies.

    Arvigo wrote to hundreds of scientists around the work asking for help in documenting Panti's unique knowledge. In 1987, she formed a partnership with the New York Botanical Garden Institute of Economic Botany, which works with the U.S. National Cancer Institute on a worldwide search for medicinal plants to use in the treatment of cancers and AIDS. To date, Arvigo and Shropshire have sent some 3,000 plants to the Institute.

    Today, the Panti Trail welcomes more than 6,000 visitors each year and is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with a token entrance fee.

    There is a small shop where you can buy medicines and tonics made from plants grown at the Panti Although in theory these can be brought into other countries, you should consult customs agents before doing so.