2023-06-11 22:05:36
One of the key questions surrounding the four indigenous children who disappeared in the Amazon jungle is: what did they eat during the 40 days they were lost?
As explained by Henry Guerrero, one of the rescuers who was part of the first team that made contact with the minors, the smallest of all was found in his mouth a seed of the fruit that gives an Amazonian plant known as milpesos.
(Also read: The first video of the meeting between the Indigenous Guard and the children of Guaviare).
“The little boy was found with a pepa that we call a thousand pesos, which we are harvesting right now. That seed is crushed and gives a good juice, very good. They kept eating that because the ration of food they found (on the plane and from the rations that the military gave them) ran out, so they kept eating wild fruits. What we realized is that the fruits that are being harvested at this time are the juan soco and the milpesos,” said the indigenous leader of the Uitoto ethnic group.
The children were found on June 9 in an advanced state of malnutrition, but still conscious.
Twitter @petrogustavo
(Also read: Pediatrician explains what was the key for the 4 children to survive in the jungle)
According to Guerrero, who was searching for more than 30 days, it was these two fruits that the children used to eat and that they also, as rescuers, consumed during the long journeys: the fruit of the thousand pesos and the fruit of Juan Soco
The thousand pesos (Oenucarpus bataua aracaceae)as explained by the Amazon Institute for Scientific Research – Sinchi, It is one of the most common palms in the humid forests of the lowlands and plains of the country.
Milpesos or seje (Oenocarpus batatua). Milpeso milk is obtained from the fruits of this palm, which is the product of macerating the pulp in warm water and is used to prepare juices and ice creams. Milpesos oil is extracted from the cooking of the pulp. pic.twitter.com/S491ismIrf
– Fruits of Colombia (@FrutasColombia) August 23, 2019
“It is found in northern South America, from Brazil, Peru and Colombia, reaching as far east as Panama. In Colombia it is reported in the Amazon, the gallery forests of the Eastern Plains, Catatumbo, Magdalena Medio (Antioquia, Boyacá, Santander), Bajo Cauca, Alto Sinú and the Pacific, from Urabá to Nariño. Common and often locally abundant”, says Sinchi.
Between February and June is when the milpesos plant gives its fruit harvest, just at the time the accident occurred. The fruit is normally black to purple in color, and is mostly consumed in juices. An oil of high nutritional value is also extracted from it.
The fruit of the thousand pesos is usually used to prepare a juice. Its consumption is very common in the Amazon and Eastern Plains regions.
Twiiter @FrutasColombia
“The fruits are rich in oil and are used to prepare a delicious drink called milk or chicha, which is the emulsion obtained from macerating the fruits in warm water. The oil has the property of eliminating toxins, relieves coughing, stimulates the lungs, expectorant, relaxes the bronchial tubes, reduces asthma, stimulates bowel movements, nourishes and benefits the skin, and is a hair tonic. The Nukak indigenous people of Colombia macerate the cooked fruits with honey and pollen, to make a juice,” says the Sinchi Institute.
(Also read: ‘If we, with the whole team, it was hard to be there. That girl is very tense’)
On the other hand, Juan Soco (Couma macrocarpa), is a fruit similar to a plum. The tree that produces it, with the same name, is a fast-growing species in humid areas, according to Sinchi.
Juan soco, avichure (Couma macrocarpa)
The juan soco or avichure is a juicy and creamy fruit, it has a pleasant sweet flavor; its shell without being rigid, is firm and allows its transport without deteriorating. Its seeds are edible and have a chewing gum-like texture. pic.twitter.com/r7l8D3ceAT
– Fruits of Colombia (@FrutasColombia) April 30, 2022
According to data from the Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Center of Antioquia (Corantioquia), the ripe fruit contains “a yellowish, sweet and delicious pulp that is highly desired by humans, birds and other animals.”
The juan soco fruit has 20% sugar, which makes it a very good food. Its flavor is similar to that of pear.
The pulp is similar to chewing gum and the fruit is eaten raw. Usually they are collected green and are put to ripen; and then they are consumed before they are very soft. The flavor is sweet and similar to that of pears. On average, each fruit contains 20% sugar.
“In the Amazon basin, especially, the demand is such that the trees are only for harvesting the ripe fruits. In popular medicine, the seeds are used as a vermifuge (which kills or expels intestinal worms) and children are given one or two tablespoons of pure latex (provided by the tree) as an antidiarrheal,” Corantioquia highlights.
(Also read: “They are malnourished, very skinny”: the grandfather of the surviving children speaks)
Access to these two fruits, and plenty of water, would have been the key for the four children to have managed to continue with the energy to endure the almost month and a half that they were in the middle of the jungle. All thanks to the knowledge of the older girl, who according to several of the rescuers would have been the heroine of the story by managing to provide the other children with both water and food (with a mostly vegetable diet).
In fact, according to pediatrician Clemencia Mayorga, for the lost children the greatest blessing was constant access to water, but also the knowledge of older children, which was what allowed access to these foods that were able to keep them healthy. energy to continue fighting for days until they were rescued.
“It seems very important to me to highlight the abilities of the two big children to take care of the small children. It is very clear, to me, that the ones who saved the lives of small children, and especially the 11-month-old, were the big children”, highlights the expert.
EDWIN CAICEDO | HEALTH UNIT
@CAICEDOUCROS | @SALUDET
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