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Iporuru is a shrubby tree that reaches 8-10 meters in height it produces light-brown bark and violet flowers. It grows extensively in the lower elevations of the Amazon River system in Peru, and is indigenous to the moist, tropical areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela. Iporuru can be harvested only in the Amazon's dry season; it spends the rainy season underwater. The locals believe that the active medicinal properties found in the bark are present only during the dry season.
The plant commonly is used with other plants during shamanic rituals and is sometimes used as an ingredient in "Ayahuasca". Throughout the Amazon the bark or leaves are tinctured (generally with the local rum, called aguardiente) as a local remedy for rheumatism, arthritis, colds, and muscle pains.
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