Medicine for the masses - herbs for protesters

Journalist and friend, Patrisia Gonzales, writes a monthly column on Mexican indigenous medicinas. The April 3rd column of "Patzin" ("venerable medicine" in Nahuatl) focuses on remedios para movimientos. So timely, so necessary.

For now, I'll just share an excerpt or 2 here. To read the column in its entirety, please go here. (BTW--each column is posted in both English and Spanish.)

[excerpts]

"As the people march in the millions, placing their bodies on the line to proclaim their rights to be treated justly, I uphold the right to our medicinal knowledge as a human right and as la comadre Sylvia Ledesma has said, part of our self governance.

Elders say the plants and the four elements of life are our relatives, our witnesses, and our protectors. While there is a backlash against the peaceful protestors, the anger needs to be countered by medicine -- or turned into medicine. My grandmother used to say that coraje can be used for good – as in defense of el prove -- or coraje can create bad medicine. I offer this herbal arsenal, or herbs for protest and times of great movement and upheaval.

For long term stamina, eat chayote, and if you can get the leaves, make a tea to strengthen the kidneys and pancreas. During stress we use up lots of vitamin Bs. Drink or eat chaya for energy, a beloved plant by those who perform great physical sacrifices and need immediate results. Drink juice with chia seed, which is recorded in the ancient stories as one of the original foods given to the Mesoamerican peoples. Spirulina (another ancestral food) will take away hunger, give you energy and lots of amino acids and minerals. Bay leaf tea will gently strengthen the kidney’s ability to move energy in our body. Wild ginseng or American ginseng will nourish our adrenal system, as will boraja. Romero with yerba buena will brighten the brain but relax you so that you can get a bit more work done.

For sore throats from too much chanting, drink slippery elm tea or take a teaspoon of linaja/flax seed and let it set in a warm cup of water and drink as a tea with honey. For sore feet, a good baño from these recetas will do.

Purify your bodyspirit of mal aires picked up along the marchas or caminos with a limpia of the plantas of your land.

© Column of the Americas 2006

Patrisia Gonzales, as well as her partner and co-writer Roberto Rodriguez, can be reached at: 608-238-3161 or XColumn@aol.com or Column of the Americas, PO BOX 5093 Madison WI 53705.