Ancestral Mexican ingredients to prevent diseases

“Everything heals and everything cures,” assures a traditional song. The entire Earth is medicine: it grows among the cornfields, makes its way through the vastness of water sources, blows in the warm air of deserts, rests in the depths of plains and caves. In plants and trees, food is called sunlight. From it and the intricate process of photosynthesis, their benefits are woven among the leaves, roots, stems, or bark.The first record of Mexican medicinal flora, the De la Cruz-Badiano codex, dates back to 1522. The compendium detailed the medicinal use that indigenous people made of herbs, their knowledge passed down ancestrally and then applied in their work as healers. The National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) states that of the 4,000 species of plants registered in the national territory, at least 3,000 could have medicinal effects. There is no doubt that they were the ones who, prior to Western medicine, healed and saved our ancestors. The grandmother of Toltec tradition and author of the book Soy mujer medicina, Eva Cecilia Solís Arroyo, explained to me in an interview that one of the most important pre-Hispanic healings has been the temazcal – a ceremonial ritual in which hot stones are sprinkled with water and added with medicinal herbs. Thanks to it, our ancestors remained healthy. Although it may seem so, traditional medicine is not forgotten. Mother cultures like the Chinese and Indian have included herbal knowledge in government health plans extended among the population. According to the grandmother, in Mexico, indigenous peoples continue to combine traditional medicine with allopathic medicine. “The plant world is at our service, which is why we can give each plant an intention of healing,” she assures. She also explains that, just like in Ayurveda, each plant possesses a spirit with a particular vibration or force: the fiery and the subtle, the masculine and the feminine. “The former are strong vibration plants. We use them in protection circles, purifications, energy cleansings, etc... The feminine ones are those used to attract beauty, the ones we use in creams for rejuvenation, for healing,” the grandmother concludes. To extract the essence of the plant, specific techniques such as vaporization, infusions, distillations, and decoctions are carried out, with which teas, ointments, waters for use, poultices, compresses, macerates, washes and baths, tinctures, and cataplasms are created. However, simply including them raw or cooked in everyday foods provides us with all their benefits. The grandmother's favorite Mexican ingredientsIn the home apothecary, drops of melipona honey, from a stingless bee, must not be missing, fundamental for Mayan civilizations. Shamans and healers of all times have used it as an expectorant, healing agent, natural antiseptic, and against eye and ear diseases. The momo or hoja santa, on the other hand, constitutes the aroma and flavor of countless dishes in the southwest of the country. The mystical name of this plant is no coincidence: it is the result of its great healing power. It has been widely used as a digestive, as it helps with proper intestinal function and reduces abdominal pain; it decreases fever, relieves insomnia, and relaxes the nerves.The muicle, which grows in the Mexican tropics, is effective for cleansing the blood and detoxifying the body. For the Mixe, Zapotec, and Totonac peoples, it cures empacho, and recent research has confirmed its antidepressant power. The bark of cuachalalate, native to the southern region, is boiled in water to treat cancer, prevent lymphoma, assist with gastric and uterine problems, and reduce inflammation in the body. The chaya, also of Mexican origin, is used to treat diabetes, reduce weight, and prevent decalcification in children and adults.For the grandmother, epazote is a must in her cooking pot because of its flavor and its antibiotic, bactericidal, and insecticidal properties. “It should be taken when there is vomiting, inflammation, itching, and even to help expel the placenta after giving birth.”Although they are not Mexican, the grandmother assures that bougainvilleas are a great expectorant for bronchitis, which is why she includes them in her temazcales and even raw, in salads. Garlic is another of her favorites because “it is disinfectant, antiparasitic, and diuretic,” while laurel is prepared in teas to promote appetite in children. “We must be aware that the plant kingdom is a living being. We need to reconnect with the foods and plants we use when cooking. Being alive, they receive the intention and energy that we give them. The invitation is to reconnect with what nourishes us, to make food our medicine,” concludes grandmother Eva.