The Naked Indian Tree

The Naked Indian tree or Bursera simarouba belongs to the Family Burseraceae. As a medicinal plant it is used in the treatment of stomach ulcers. To prepare this medicine you have to boil twenty centimeters of bark in one quarter of water for about fifteen minutes, then you drink one cup first thing in the morning every day. One of the nicknames for the naked Indian tree is the tourist tree this because the bark of this tree is constantly exfoliating which gives it an appearance of sunburned skin. This is one of the trees that is commonly seen along the roads in the Osa Peninsula because a lot of local farmers use it as a live fencepost. Look for it on your way to Lapa Rios!