AO Chima Matiku 8fl.oz (236ml)

Chima Matiku (its Quechuan name, also commonly known as simply "Matico") is a wound-healing plant found only in Ecuador. The term "matico," however, has become, in South America, a term which relates more to function than to exact plant species. The two plants used in this formula, by way of example, don't even belong to the same taxonomical family. The information available on Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae), which is prolific and grows in far more diverse environs, is -- as one would expect -- much more abundant. Taylor tells of the South American legend of a wounded Spanish soldier named Matico, who "probably learned from the Indians that applying the leaves to his wounds stopped them from bleeding, hence the name 'matico' or 'soldier's herb or tree.' I cannot verify this legend from independent sources, but I have spoken extensively with friends, veteran Ecuadorean army soldiers of the Orienté, many of them veterans of the Alto Cenepa War, and an inordinate number claim to have carried "matico" leaves when they were in battle. So important was it to be able to heal wounds quickly -- particularly when fighting in the jungle. Duke also mentions a source relating how "matico" was introduced in the U.S. and Europe as a styptic and astringent for wounds by a Liverpool physician in 1839. Regardless, I know from my own indigenous sources that the use of "matico" for accelerating the healing of cuts and wounds goes far back into antiquity. Because H3O is, itself, a wound accelerant and was used for this purpose by physicians prior to the FDA destruction of our U.S. lab in 2003, we wanted to know if there was a synergistic effect from using Matico with H3O -- and although results were preliminary, we could clearly see that it did. Out of this effort comes our Chima Matiko. Maticos (both varieties) are widely used traditionals found primarily throughout the lower level Andes mountains. The leaves and stems are the primary medicant used. It has many medicinal uses, but the focus of our formulation is as a wound healer. Although Aristeguietia glutinosa L. is making a comeback in Loja province, where we obtain our leaves -- and we even have friends who are cultivating it -- it is still listed as an "endangered species" due to past deforestation in the Andean highlands. And so, if nothing more than out of respect, we formulated this product together with its namesake from Peru, whose leaves have the same wound-healing property. This formula is designed for external use only.