La Influencia de la Medicina Tradicional Shuar en la Salud de la comunidad de Chuwitayu: Prácticas, Creencias y Cambios Contemporáneos

Abstract

Traditional Shuar Medicine plays a fundamental role in community health, integrating healing practices based on the use of medicinal plants, spiritual rituals, and ancestral knowledge. Objective: To explore the influence of traditional Shuar medicine on the health of the Chuwitayu community by analyzing practices, beliefs, and contemporary changes that impact physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being in the context of interaction with modern medicine. Methods: The research was conducted using a qualitative approach with an ethnographic and experiential design to understand the practices, beliefs, and contemporary changes in traditional Shuar medicine in the Chuwitayu community (Data were collected) through interviews and focus groups, applying thematic analysis, data triangulation, and an intercultural perspective. Results: The study findings show that traditional Shuar medicine continues to play a central role in the health of the Chuwitayu community, serving as the first line of treatment for common ailments and for restoring physical and spiritual balance. The most representative practices include the use of medicinal plants. Likewise, spiritual beliefs directly influence perceptions of illness and healing. However, contemporary changes associated with migration, formal education, and access to modern medicine were identified. Conclusion: The community recognizes the complementarity of both health systems, valuing traditional medicine for its cultural proximity and modern medicine for its problem-solving capacity in complex cases. Keywords: Traditional medicine, community health, traditional practices, indigenous beliefs.