the folk tales of the carioca people serve as a continuing oral history, running parallel to the official story of a country and people, filling in the gaps left by the powers  with great tales of heroism, unbreakable love, and fidelity that continue to inspire.

that oral history also contains extensive knowledge of the curative properties of the flora and fauna which coexist with the citizens of this former capital city. folk medicine here is a union of three different traditions - the curative use of plant life comes from indigenous traditions, while african practices tell of cures derived from animals, and the european traditions frame the religious component.