Black Berries with a Reputation for Healing Snakebites

In an herbaceous corner of the reserve, amid the shadows of trees and half-dry grass, Michel Salas and Jorge Alcalá stopped before a plant still in the flush of youth: a single stem, broad green leaves, and a cluster of ripe black berries hanging among the branches like beads on a string. It was a Rauvolfia tetraphylla, a species belonging to the family Apocynaceae, and one that in this region carries a reputation passed from mouth to mouth among the rural communities: they say it can treat snakebites. The find was recorded on March 29th at coordinates 10.44006, -75.25697, on a semi-open stretch of land where vegetation mingles without apparent order. The plant grew quietly, without announcing itself — as plants with a history tend to do. Rauvolfia tetraphylla is a species native to the American tropics, and while its traditional medicinal use is widespread across various communities, its toxicity demands respect: this is not a plant to handle without knowing what you are dealing with.