User:Jesvalsilva/euphorbia laurifolia

Euphorbia laurifolia The tree, Euphorbia laurifolia, is also known in the Andes as pinkul (also written as pinllu, pinlluk, pinllug) in Kichwa and by "El Lechero (The Milk-maker)" in Spanish, named after its milky white sap. The tree has thick, knobby branches with broad, shiny green leaves. Some sources may also use the Latin term Euphorbia latazi.

Medicinal Uses

The Kichwa people (also spelled as Quichua) have traditionally used the tree for medicinal purposes, and although it is considered to have powerful healing attributes, some warn that if it is not handled properly, one may cause harm, burn oneself, or even cause death. According to Wibbelsman's sources, the medicine made from Euphorbia laurifolia can be used to treat deafness, toothaches, eye problems, liver cirrhosis, nerves, and skin infections. It is also known to work as a laxative for cleaning out the intestines, or inducing abortions.

El Lechero and Kichwa Myth

One particularly old Lechero tree is a tourist attraction near Peguche, Otavalo, Ecuador (located on a hill 4km away from downtown Otavalo, near the Parque Condor and overlooking Laguna de San Pablo). As told in the legend "Nina Paccha, Princess of the Lake," a princess and her young lover, Guatalquí, were punished for betraying their community after choosing to run away and be in love rather than allow Princess Nina to be sacrificed to end a drought. Consequently, Princess Nina was converted into the San Pablo Lagoon (Laguna de San Pablo, also known in Kichwa as Imbakucha), and Guatalquí into El Lechero.