Being used for countless purposes, since ancient times herbs have always aroused the interest of all humanity and the Mayan culture does not escape it. Possessors of great knowledge in botany and herbal medicine, they even used them for ritual and mystical purposes.
According to the Mayans, the origin of evil was related to religious matters; and today, together with other communities, they share a common past to preserve their main roots and heritage; therefore, they relied on nature to guarantee the health and well-being of their people, benefiting mainly from herbs. We are going to highlight the most used by this ancient civilization!
Apparentlythe Mayans had a lot of knowledge of the properties of spinach; known by them as Chaya or Mayan Spinach. This vegetable had a strong boom in their culture, since they consumed it in large quantities because it provided them with numerous benefits: its high content of iron, calcium, vitamins, proteins and fibers; they also ingested it raw as a natural laxative.
Also, many herbs such as orange blossom or orange and lemon flowers They were used for having medicinal virtues thousands of years ago. With the orange blossom they made infusions as medicinal tea. When the flowers had just opened, they were picked and then put to dry.
This herb with tranquilizing properties was used to calm tension and induce sleep. It is also currently used as an adjuvant in problems caused by anxiety and stress; however, the Mayans used it in the kitchen for the preparation of rich culinary recipes, especially for its flavoring properties.
They also benefited from the Pomolche; whose scientific name is “Jatropha gaumeri”. It is an ancestral plant of the Mayans, with wide heart-shaped leaves; and constitutes one of the most used herbs in the traditional medicine of the Yucatan Peninsula; since, according to the natives of that community, it relieves some ailments. It is still used today as a therapeutic tool and an alternative resource for many Mayan communities.
In this sense, Pomolche and specifically the Jatropha genus, have been attributed several medicinal properties, among which its antimicrobial and cytotoxic power stands out; found in Mexico eight different genera of this plant, with 45 species. (Martinez et al., 2002).
The campechana plum or red plum is a plant that grows in the tropical areas of America, from Mexico to Brazil, and its use dates back to ancient times. The Mayans used the bark and its leaves to soothe some skin ailments.to strengthen teeth and also as a mouthwash.
For the Mayans, health was a sacred matter; they perceived it as a “balance”; while the diseases were an «imbalance»; For this reason, they put all their efforts and used the resources from nature for their benefit. Herbs, as well as many species, were included with respect and veneration as part of their interesting culture, which is still valid and dominating in many civilizations.