Many
of the herbs in Mexican herb stalls have been introduced from
other continents. This reminds us that more than Mexican-mercado herb
stalls being museum like vestiges of the past, they are serious
"people's pharmacies" where people go for traditional cures,
either because they believe in the cures, or because that's all
they can afford.
When you study
Mexican herbal remedies, notice how often the Doctrine of
Signatures is in evidence. This is the principle that a plant
indicates its use for human beings by its shape, behavior, odor,
or some other natural feature. Thus an infusion of
doradilla,
the little resurrection plant growing on rocks and perhaps
giving the impression that is breaking up the rock, is used
traditionally by Mexicans to break up kidney and gall stones.
Hierba de la golondrina, a euphorbia with milky-white latex
oozing from any breaks inflicted on its skin, is used to cure
eye diseases of the sort characterized by a milky opaqueness
spreading across the lens.
Finally, please
heed this warning: Do not experiment with these. Very often
an herb that is medicinal in one dosage is poisonous in others.
Some of these herbs are extremely potent!
Aguacate: (avocado,
Persea americana): for intestinal worms,
grate 8 to 10 grams of fresh avocado-pit rind into a glass
of water, and the next day sweeten it, drink, and eat
nothing
[continued - click "Read more," below left]
Altea: (plantain,
Plantago spp.): for dysentery, cook the root in
rice
A�il: (indigo,
Indigofera suffruticosa): for children's
headaches, boil leaves until soft, then apply the leaves
like a bandage to the forehead
Arnica: (golden aster,
Heterotheca inuloides): for bruises, boil
the flower heads into a mass, and apply
Borraja: (borage,
Borago officinalis): for bronchitis and fevers,
boil 10 grams of flowers and young leaves in a liter of
water, and drink the tea
Cedr�n: (lemon verbena,
Aloysia triphylla): tea from the
boiled leaves, taken while fasting, regularizes the
menstrual flow, and expels worms
Chicalote: (prickly poppy,
Argemone ochroleuca): for stomach
pain, mash 4 grams of seeds in 200 cc of water, take two or
three times a day
Clavellina: (ceiba,
Bombax palmeri): for skin wounds, roast and
grind the bark, and apply
Codo de fraile: (oleander,
Thevetia thevetioides): for
hemorrhoids, mash seeds, mix in lard, and apply
Cola de caballo: (horsetail,
Equisetum spp.): brewed teas of the
stems are diuretic, and have been used against dysentery and
gonorrhea
Culantrillo: (maidenhair fern,
Adiantum capillus): to "thin the
blood," for constipation, liver problems, and kidney stones,
boil about 5 grams in half a liter of water, and take a
small cup every day
Damiana: (turnera,
Turnera diffusa): for nervousness and weakness,
take a tea made by boiling the macerated leaves
Doradilla: (resurrection
plant, Selaginella lepidophylla an
infusion has salutary effects on the kidneys and liver, and
breaks up gallstones.
Encino: (oak,
Quercus spp.): for diarrhea, drink tea made
from boiling the tree's bark
Gordolobo: (cudweed
Gnaphalium spp.): a handful of this weedy
herb brewed in a pot of water is very much used against
coughs and sore throats.
Guam�chil: (Manila tamarind,
Pithecellobium dulce): for diarrhea,
bloody and otherwise, boil bark from the root and drink
Hierba de la golondrina:
(spurge, Euphorbia spp): white latex
from the plant is famed for curing "spots on the eye"
Lant�n: (plantain,
Plantago spp.): for burns, bruises, and mouth
sores, boil 100 grams of leaves in 500 ml of water, and wash
the affected area
Magnolia: (magnolia,
Talauma mexicana): a tea from the bark
serves as a general tonic, but too much causes the heart to
beat irregularly
Maguey: (maguey,
Agave atrovirens): for bruises and pains
resulting from hard blows to the body, squeeze juice from a
roasted leaf, boil it down, sweeten, and drink
Muicle:
(jacobinia, Jacobinia spicigera):
a tea from the leaves combats dysentery
Nanche: (golden spoon,
Byrsonima crassifolia): to improve digestion
and appetite, and generally improve one's feeling, cook the
bark and drink the tea
Naranjo agrio: (sour orange,
Citrus aurantium): a tea from the
leaves is used as a general tonic, calming agent, for heart
palpitations, and epilepsy
Nogal: (walnut,
Juglans regia): wash skin sores and cure thrush
in infants with a tea made from boiled leaves
Ortiga: (jatropa,
Jatropha spp.): several different plants are
called ortiga, but the roots of this one are used
against venereal diseases
Palo dulce: (eysenhardtia,
Eysenhardtia polystachya): for
kidney problems, place wood chips into water, and when the
water turns blue, then red or amber, drink
Pata de le�n: (wild geranium,
Geranium spp.): an infusion of this
herb is added to the bath water of babies to rid them of the
rash; the brew is also good for washing wounds.
Ping�ica: (manzanita,
Arctostaphylos pungens): for kidney
problems, drink a tea made from boiled leaves and fruits
Romero: (rosemary,
Rosmarinus officinalis): to improve the
digestion, drink a tea made of the boiled leaves
Ruda:, (rue, Ruta
graveolens): highly regarded for its abilities
to induce menstruation, and to abort fetuses; in too high
concentrations, it is exceedingly poisonous.
Sauco: (elderberry,
Sambucus mexicana): for the cough, make a
tea from the boiled flowers
Tejocote: (hawthorn,
Crataegus mexicana): to "flush out the
kidneys," boil the root in water and drink the tea
Tepopote: (Mormon tea,
Ephedra antisyphilitica): a tea from the
boiled stems is used against venereal diseases and kidney
problems
Tilia: (linden or basswood,
Tilia spp.): for coughs, a tea
brewed from the boiled flowers is drunk
U�a de gato: (pisonia,
Pisonia aculeata): several plants go by this
name, but for this one, a member of the four o'clock family,
drink tea from boiled leaves and bark to ease arthritic pain
in joints
Zacate lim�n: (lemon-grass, or
citronella, Cymbopogon nardus): the
lemony brewed tea is a good anti-flatulent and soothes the
intestines in general
One
medicinal plant deserves special mention. Anyone seeing the
number of stalls a good-size mercado devotes to ajo:,
or garlic, will be impressed by how important Mexicans seem
to regard this bulb. Most garlic of course is destined for
culinary use, but the traditional Mexican pharmacopoeia also
grants garlic an eminent place.
Garlic juice is
applied to scorpion stings and spider bites. Garlic taken
internally is regarded by many as a stimulant to the body in
general, and traditionally has been used to control hypertension
and arteriosclerosis. For these latter purposes several cloves
are mashed, the paste is placed in a glass, and just enough
drinking alcohol is added to cover it.
Every day for a week the
glass's contents is stirred. Finally it is strained, and then
after every meal five drops are taken. The next week the dosage
is doubled, and every week this doubling is continued, until
arriving at twenty drops per dosage. After a week of twenty
drops, the dosage is diminished to fifteen drops for a week, and
then ten and five drops on subsequent weeks. At the end of the
second five-drop week, the treatment is ended.
Source: http://sparks-mexico.com/costalegre/fruit/medicinal-herbs.htm
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