The lines between food, medicine and poison are fine ones, yet their boundaries sometimes appear confusingly blurred. For Amazonian peoples, finding the right balance means the difference between life and death. William Milliken explores the apparently contradictory properties of the plants and animals of the Amazon forest, and how the region's inhabitants have learned to harness them in order to survive. Dr Milliken is currently employed at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, where he is responsible for the development of botanical research in Latin America.