- The 10 most important Mapuche medicinal plants
- Canelo
- Clove herb
- Llareta
- Boldo
- Laurel
- Palqui
- Peumo
- Clean silver
- Valerian
- Wormwood
- Characteristics of Mapuche herbal medicine
- References
The Mapuches medicinal plants correspond to a set of herbs used by members of the indigenous population through time, they have been used in food and celebration rituals. According to the beliefs of the Mapuche people, diseases and other ailments are the product of curses.
By this it is understood that their understanding of medicine includes a magical-religious factor, relying in turn on the figure of the shaman or "machi". Therefore, they use the properties of herbs and plants to protect and protect health, considering a wide spectrum that goes from wound healing to emotional treatments.
In short, the Mapuche herbalism aims to search for physical and spiritual balance, through the expulsion or repel of negative spirits.
The 10 most important Mapuche medicinal plants
Canelo
It is considered one of the sacred plants of the Mapuche community because it is part of their herbalist for the preparation of medicinal concoctions, spiritual sessions and other rites.
It is associated with the sacred and peace, so it is common to find it as the main ingredient during healings and invocations or "machitún", a process to know the origin of diseases to proceed with the expulsion of evil.
The bark is used against fever and cleaning wounds. Instead, the leaves are used as a tonic for the relief of stomach aches and scurvy. It is also a diuretic and stimulant of digestion.
Clove herb
It has a strong clove aroma and its consumption is said to increase sexual potency, which is why it is generally consumed by men who suffer from impotence problems. It also helps improve circulation.
Llareta
Its bitter infusion has three basic properties: cleaning wounds and different skin conditions, treating respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and curing kidney diseases.
Boldo
It is a plant whose parts are used to the maximum due to its properties: an infusion is made with the stem to relieve pain in the ears, the cooked leaves help relieve headache and stomach pain, and reduce acidity.
Thanks to its main component, the alkaloid boldine, it is also used for the treatment of the liver, diseases related to the digestive system and the cleaning of the urinary tract.
Laurel
Like the previous plant, several parts of it are used thanks to its health benefits.
For example, its leaves and stems are used to make herbal teas to relieve headaches, and it is used as a diuretic and sedative. It is also widely used in Mapuche cuisine.
Palqui
Because its consumption produces sweating, it is used as the main element to combat fever. Likewise, it is also used to wash wounds and burns.
Peumo
Helps to relieve joint and muscle discomfort. Likewise, the infusion of this herb allows the control of vaginal bleeding and liver problems. It is also used to make baths for patients suffering from rheumatism.
Clean silver
It is another of the plants with versatile uses in this herbalist, since thanks to its infusions it allows the stop of bleeding, relieves kidney problems and the urinary area, since it increases the amount of urine.
It is also used for the treatment of other conditions such as bronchitis, cough, diarrhea and rheumatism.
Valerian
It has relaxing and calming properties, which is why it is used in infusions for people who suffer from nerves and for sleeping. It is also used in rituals and celebrations, as well as in processes related to dyeing.
Wormwood
It is used for fertility problems and when there is irregularity in menstrual cycles. Its use is not recommended during pregnancy, as it could cause abnormalities in the fetus.
Characteristics of Mapuche herbal medicine
In view of the above, it is worth mentioning some essential traits that are linked to the use of herbs and plants in this culture:
-It has a magical and cosmic feature, since it is believed that diseases and other ailments are the product of the intervention of an evil spirit.
-Because of this, the presence of the machi is common, a kind of shaman or sorcerer who has contact with the spirits and who serves as a bridge with the other people in the community.
-The machi had to possess a certain degree of sexual ambiguity to be able to connect with the problems of people of both sexes. However, with the passage of time, it became a role mostly occupied by women.
-Along with the use of herbs in infusions and other medicinal preparations, the Mapuches also make use of thermal baths or treatments with sulphurous waters for the relief of pain in the muscles, bones and digestive diseases.
-A common practice in this community is machitún: the invocation of spirits in order to detect the origin of diseases. It is also used as a means of expelling demons or evil entities. In this ritual there were the presence of organs and other parts of animals, since they were thought to have healing powers.
-During the machitun, the machi kept lamb's blood and cinnamon leaves in his mouth to "suck" the evil that possessed the patient.
-Together with herbalism, other components of animal character were combined to enhance the natural qualities of plants, in order to represent that, thanks to nature, the necessary balance could be extracted to return it to man.
References
- 9 plants used by Mapuche medicine. (2015). In The Citizen. Retrieved: May 10, 2018 from elciudadano.cl.
- Alonso, Jorge. Medicinal plants used by the Mapuches. (sf). In Conversing in Positive. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Conversando en Positivo from conversndoenpositivo.com.
- The Mapuche herbalist. (sf). In Emol. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Emol of emol.com.
- Mapuche herbalist. (sf). In Ecovisiones. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Ecovisiones de ecovisiones.cl.
- Mapuche herbal medicine. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
- Plants used by Mapuche medicine. (sf). In Guide to Natural Remedy. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Guía del Remedio Natural de remedionatural.cl.
- Vera, Teresa. Plant-based therapy is strongly rooted in the Chilean medicinal properties of the 12 most popular herbs. (2002). In The Latest News. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Las Últimas Noticias at mapuche.info.