The shamanic songs of Icaros are considered to be the key connecting the entire spiritual world and everything in it: the energy, the healing and the journey of the soul. The shaman gets the icaro from the plant (which he usually diets), and by singing it, he opens other people to their paths.

Icaros are used by healers and shamans from the Inca, Shipibo and Quechua traditions and they sing them during traditional healing ceremonies.

You should remember that shaman singing is much more than just singing – it is a healing tool, a carrier of wisdom and of the healer’s personal energy and a symbol of his power.
Very often the shaman sings an icaro in order to charge an object or a medicinal decoction with the power, giving it a specific property. When icaros are sung for a person, it helps to cleanse, heal and protect. During the ceremony, the icaros ensure a safe, sacred space, heal and protect participants and show the way to the medicine.

Icaro is the foundation of healing work in the Amazon. It contains the wisdom and skills of a shaman and is essential for calling in the Medicine. The knowledge and ability to heal with shamanic songs depends largely on the preparation of curandero through diets (retreats in solitude), his maturity, internal integrity, discipline (as a lifestyle ) and knowledge obtained from teachers and traditional guides and masters.