Beneath the Bark

In Rio, we have quickly learned to go with the flow. When our scheduled afternoon activity was postponed, the group jumped at the suggestion to visit the city's botanical gardens or Jardim Botânico.

Nestled in the foothills of the mountains where Christ the Redeemer watches over Rio, the garden (or jungle from a Nebraskan point of view) is a tribute to the splendor of Brazil's natural landscape and a reminder of its fragility.

Jardim Botânico with Christ the Redeemer

Larry Rohter, the American author whose Brazil on the Rise kicked off our readings for the class, begins his historical overview with the story of the brazilwood tree. Once the dominant form of vegetation along the northeastern coast of South America, the tree was harvested to be made into crimson dye and became Brazil's first cash crop, exploited for its value in European markets and almost completely depleted. Today gardens such as the Jardim Botânico are some of the final refuges for this tree for which Brazil was named, and seeing it today in person was a vivid reminder of our responsibility as an international community to protect the innumerable species of plants that inhabit South American forests.

The Brazilwood tree 

One fifth of the great Amazon forest has already been destroyed, and as more trees are felled and cleared out for new farmland, we as a human race stand to lose not only ingredients for colorful dyes, but valuable natural remedies, potent medicines, and not to mention an estimated 20% of the oxygen we breathe. The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark of the cocoa tree, another species featured in the Jardim Botânico, contain more than 150 chemicals. Before the colonization of the Americas, natives of the region used these different parts of the tree to treat anxiety, fever, fatigue, and coughs. Europeans brought back the cocoa tree and used it to treat kidney stones and other lesions such as cuts and burns. Today, of course, cocoa is the primary ingredient in chocolate. It contains flavonoids, which have been shown to decrease blood pressure, improve blood vessel health, and reduce harmful cholesterol.

The embauba, or trumpet tree, named for its characteristic leaves, is another species found in the Amazon and throughout Central and South America. It bears bark, roots, sap, leaves, and fruit used to treat a wide variety of ailments such as respiratory illness, diabetes, cancer, and even snakebites.

These are just two examples of powerful plants found in Brazil and South America, and even as I write, scientists continue to delve into the secret potential of the Amazon forest. There is no telling what potential anti-cancer drug lies waiting in bark or berry, and destructive deforestation practices threaten not only Brazilians, but all of us who stand to benefit from such medicines.

Patrick in the Jardim Botânico

One of the things we have been learning here in Rio is that steps are being taken to prevent this harmful destruction of the rainforest. Backed by 79% of the Brazilian populace, President Dilma Rousseff recently vetoed a bill that would give loggers and farmers the right to unconditionally demolish large areas of the Amazon. That Brazilian citizens are aware of the plight of the rainforest and willing to voice their objections to its destruction is a reason to be optimistic. It is our role as Americans to join them in their efforts for preservation. As we continue to explore Rio and its surrounding cities, it is our hope that new academic and personal ties with our Brazilian colleagues will make this international cooperation stronger.