The Amazonian Pharmacy of Don Ignacio Duri

A firsthand account of the life and wisdom of renowned ayahuasquero and healer, Don Ignacio Duri Palomeque. This multifaceted narrative intertwines personal testimony, plant teachings, and unique anecdotes, as Don Ignacio shares some of his long and storied life, beginning in the early 20th century. From his arrival to Peru from the Bolivian Amazon, to his time as a tapper during the rubber era, this memoir delves into his transformative encounter with ayahuasca and his subsequent lifetime of exploration of medicinal plants.

The stories that make up The Amazonian Pharmacy of Don Ignacio Duri were compiled at Don Ignacio's request over the course of a decade through audio recordings of conversations with two of his longtime students. His accounts include tales of family life, recollections of ayahuasca ceremonies, and esoteric secrets, showing some of Don Ignacio's broad knowledge of endemic Amazonian medicinal plants and the cosmovision of Amazonian cultures. The narration is accompanied by unique, gorgeous illustrations of the plants invoked.

"This book, like a forest of plants and experiences, pays tribute to one of the most highly respected and well-known shamans from the Madre de Dios region: Don Ignacio Duri Palomeque (1930-2020). This homage to his life and his departure impresses with its complexity and beauty and allows us to get to know the shaman's learning process, his ways of self-knowledge, and brings us closer to some of his secrets. With all this, the book is a must-read for the appreciation of the emotional and geographical space that is our Amazon."

-Andrea Cabel, literary critic, researcher, and professor of literature at Universidad de Lima and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas

This book was produced with the collaboration and support of Camino Verde, a non-profit organization dedicated to the regeneration or the Peruvian Amazon.