The cannonball tree / Couroupita Guianensis here is a tall specimen with plentiful fallen fruits that resemble cannonballs, where the tree gets its English name. The falling fruit from the tree is akin to a cannonball wrecking havoc in its path. it is advised to practice caution.

The tree has been a signifier of pollution in a given area as it is observed to overnight shed it’s leaves should the pollution levels spike.

The Cannonball Tree is native to the dense lush green rainforest of Amazon, where the shamans of the Mayantuyacu site use the healing virtues of decoctions and teas from different parts of the tree as remedies in Ashaninka medicine. However, composition of the remedy and the underlying mechanism remain unclear.

The tree is part of several folk medicine practices but little has been studied thus far. With the rapid loss of forests we risk losing the indigenous culture of healing that have helped them survive through ages. We risk losing the time tested wisdom that can influence, hasten and diversify our means of healing.