CURANDERISMO IN TEXAS
WELCOME TO CURANDERISMO IN TEXAS
A few examples of Mexico's common healing herbs are:
- Cilantro (Coriandrum
sativum), used primarily as a spice in
Mexican dishes, is also valuable as a medicinal tea used for calming anxious
children, for stomach cramps, and as a mouth wash for inflamed gums.
- Epazote (Chenopodium
ambrosioides) because of its tenacity
and ability to grow in less than ideal conditions is used throughout
southern and central Mexico where mothers steep it in milk and sugar and
give the resulting "tea" to their children to help rid them of intestinal
parasites. It is also known to prevent flatulence when added to your beans
ten to fifteen minutes before cooking is complete.
- Estafiate (Artemisia
ludoviciana, frigida), or Wormwood,
is used primarily to treat stomach ailments, but may also serve as a
deterrent for diarrhea and for menstrual cramps. Additionally it may be used
as a bath for rheumatism or to reduce swelling from sprains or as a steam
inhalation for sore throat.
- Yerbanis (Tagetes
lucida), or Mexican Marigold Mint,
is primarily used as a medicinal tea to calm stomachs and nerves, cure
colds, and to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover. It grows throughout
central and southern Mexico and is popular with the Tarahumara Indians of
Chihuahua and the Huichol Indians of Jalisco and Nayarit who use it in their
religious rituals.
- Yerba Buena (Mentha
spicata) or Spearmint,
works well as a simple, soothing tea to ease stomachaches, headaches, and
childbirth. It is also brewed with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg to cure a
hangover and is a well-known remedy for flatulence.
- Oregano de la Sierra (Lippia graveolens) or Mexican oregano,
a native to rocky slopes, arroyos, and the arid conditions of Mexico and
Central America, is good used as a hot tea for coughs and also for
indigestion and gas in the stomach.