And the Silent Spoke

And the Silent Spoke is a rich collection of true stories based on one woman's adventures explor- ing some of Earth's most remote indige- nous villages in a quest to discover ancient medical treatments. By projecting herself into the future as an old lady, the author recounts stories from her twenty-four years of trekking through the Amazon, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. These are the expeditions that allowed for endearing encounters with elders, traditional healers and villages, yet also brought difficult challenges including oppressive swarms of bees, arrests by police, and incidents with tribal fighting. Along the way are heartbreaks such as witnessing the esca- lating devastation and demise of lands, cultures and species. During her journeys, Amy Greeson discovers much more than the healing plants she expected to find: a vibrant, endless network of love, friend- ships, and humanity unlimited by time, space, language or culture--and a deeper realization of the critical significance of every life form on Earth.