Garden Philosophy

Life itself appeared on Earth in the form of plants way before there were animals. From then on, plants have created many defense mechanisms to counter the ongoing assault of predator agents: insects, fungi, bacteria, often by developing new substances that would help secure their survival. To this day, plants transmit their power and wisdom with the help of active components they contain. They teach us that one of the most important tasks of a human being on Earth is to preserve and support Life, to always “take the side of Life” and help it move forward, from simplest projects to most complex enterprises… A mother taking care of her baby, a scientist developing a new technology to improve the environment, a child watering his or her house plants, a company making environmentally responsible products, a community planting a garden…

The Native people of the Amazon have for millennia maintained a close relationship with plants using them for protection from many ills. Generations of medicine men and women served as the direct repository of traditional knowledge about healing properties of medicinal plants.

The modern world however has forgotten that plants are in fact living beings, powerful teachers and healers, and that with their help we can find relief from many physical, psychological and spiritual illnesses. By using plants with discretion, wisdom and knowledge we can prevent many diseases and find more clarity, beauty and flow in our lives.

Population growth and indiscriminate deforestation of the jungle are resulting in the loss of plant species and the absence of green areas near the city of Pucallpa. Many of the medicinal plants that used to inhabit the area surrounding the city have already disappeared. Therefore, UBG aims to protect, preserve and reproduce medicinal herbs, shrubs and trees representing a wide range of species native to this region, repopulating 12.5 acres of deforested land.

The project’s focus is preservation and appreciation of medicinal plants, as well as study of their traditional use (in the ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological contexts). It is based in the city of Pucallpa, directly benefiting its population (500,000 inhabitants), schools, colleges, universities and scholars.