Plant diet (4 weeks)

Don Gardel is from a family of curanderos: his grandfather was one, and his two brothers are shamans as well. He learned ayahuasca from a Shipibo woman (la maestra Alicia) deep down on the river Momon. Now it’s 40 years that Don Gardel has been practicing this medicine. When he was a young man, he had the chance to go to work near Brasil where the Matses people live. There he learned to use kambo. This in combination with his experience and studies as a nurse make of Gardel one of the most famous Kambo healer of Iquitos. Now in the center he combines all the ancestral medicinese available: mambè, rapè, yopo etc.

The term "Maestra" (which in this context refers to the teacher) is used to refer to Alicia, who was once Gardel's teacher. Her grandfather was a "tabacchero," a type of curandero who specialized in using tobacco for medical purposes. She was initiated when she was quite young, but it was a major crisis, a traditional spiritual awakening, a death that gave her a new lease on life that ultimately inspired her to become a healer. She has a lot of allies from her years of long-term dieting and extensive knowledge with plant-based therapies. People from the neighbouring villages travel to her for traditional treatments. She is a strong, yet tender woman who acts as a big mama to all of the patients.

Research in the biomedical field is Fabrizio Beverina's background. His expertise was in emotional computing and brain-computer interaction. He fled the scientific community to study meditation in Asia. He spent 12 years in China before traveling to study with Tibetan Buddhist monks in Tibet and India. he is now researching ancestral remedies. In Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, he lived with numerous shamans and gained extensive knowledge of medicinal plants. He co-founded Paojilhuasca with don Gardel, where he also teaches meditation and participates in the manufacturing of various drugs. He just created a psychological test to track the clients' progress and aid the therapy team.

Daniel and Rodriguez are two shipibo brothers from Pucallpa. They come from a traditional shaman family. Daniel was for few year a policeman, then he received the call from ayahuasca and joined his brother in his mission. They come to the center once or twice a month. Their ceremonies are very powerful because the power of the icaros that has been passed on and charged with good intentions for generations. They are young shamans, they know a little bit a bout meditations and other spiritual practices like yoga.