Herbal remedies have been passed down via the oral tradition from traditional Maya healers for centuries. Dr. Arvigo combined her knowledge of Don Elijio Panti’s teachings, together with her physician’s understanding of human physiology and medical herbal training to formulate a unique set of remedies. True to the traditions they sprang from, these address many of the common physical and spiritual ailments that Don Elijio Panti treated within his practice.

Rainforest Remedies embodies the principles of the economic value of preserving the rainforest for its healing plants. By offering employment to the local community and validating the economic value of the vibrant living plants of the rainforest, it leads the way in helping to educate the local community about the unique resource at their doorstep. Many plants are harvested from land that’s scheduled for clearing and development. Dr. Arvigo calls this work Salvage Botany, saving valuable medicinal plants that would otherwise be destroyed.

Rainforest Remedies Today

In 2015, Eva and Tobias Sengfelder took up the reins of Rainforest Remedies, and now grow, gather, and produce these formulas. Many of the herbs in Rainforest Remedies products are sustainably wildcrafted at Arco Iris Permaculture Farm and the surrounding area. All of the medicinal plants used in Rainforest Remedies whether through Salvage Botany or permaculture farming are always gathered using traditional methods and prayers. Mature plants are gathered, while young and tender plants are transplanted at Arco Iris’s nursery. Once these have grown, they’re either replanted in the wild or grown on at the farm for harvest. The plant harvesters are young Maya people from the community that now show renewed interest in traditional medicine.

Herb knowledge that otherwise would have been lost, is now very much alive. Many of the herbs in Rainforest Remedies’ formulas are unique to Belize and Central America. The extremely competitive environment that is the rainforest, creates uniquely powerful plants that grow in highly nutrient-rich, virgin soil, bathed in specialized micronutrients. These micronutrients, along with a full spectrum of trace elements drawn from virgin soil make these wild herbs valuable, concentrated foods. The medicinal plant tinctures contain bio-active compounds to assist normal metabolic functions of the body. They are not intended as a substitute for physician care.

Endangered and toxic herbs, especially those containing alkaloid compounds, are never used in Rainforest Remedies products.