Hollywood A-lister Channing Tatum is teaming up with Tyler Gage, co-founder and CEO of organic tea company Runa, to champion a native healing centre deep in the Amazon rainforest.

Tatum is a brand ambassador and investor in Runa, which sources gauyusa, its key ingredient, from the indigenous families in the Ecuadorian Amazon such as the Sapara. The company has launched an initiative to help create new value for the tropical forests that benefits local people.

Opening in mid-2016, the Naku healing centre will see scientists working alongside native healers to highlight the efficacy of traditional treatments and ingredients.

“We’ll have patients from all over the world suffering from a variety of illnesses already described by western doctors,” said Gage. “The Sapara healers will do their own diagnostic before patients go through the Amazonian healing process. We’ll record not only physical but also psychological wellbeing data, and track their progress for improvement or change. This will lay the foundation for further phytochemical studies and clinical trials.”

The healing centre is inspired by Sapara building techniques and utilises the latest in ecological design. It will have eight rooms where patients will be given a course of treatments, including whole plant remedies, diet guidelines and dream and sleep therapies that the Sapara have used for centuries.

Gage is also working on a similar project with the indigenous Shipibo people in Peru, the Rios Nete healing and research centre, which is due to open in late 2016. He hopes spas can learn about how reconnecting with nature and community can help with wellbeing.

“Spa owners already know that it’s important for people to take a break from the rigours of their stressful daily lives,” said Gage, “but being able to have a meaningful cultural experience at the same time enables people to learn about how to be well all of the time, not just when they’re on vacation.”

To read the full story in the current issue of Spa Business, click here.