TEPEZCOHUITE: MAYAN BEAUTY SECRET

The beauty secret of Mayan women is the tepezcohuite. It is a thorny shrub, whose bark has cell regeneration properties. It has been used since time immemorial by the Mayan culture to treat problems related to the skin; and in this situation, they made believe that it was a sacred tree.

Tepezcohuite is native to Mexico; however, it can also be found in a small part of the northwestern region of Guatemala, whose chestnut-colored trunk measures approximately eight meters high, and 10 to 15 centimeters in diameter; It also has bright green leaves and fragrant white flowers.

Likewise, the Mayan communities used the elements that nature gave them not only as natural resources, but also to beautify themselves. These women inhabited a land rich in plants, flowers and fruits with which they performed treatments that provided great cosmetic benefits. Those pre-Hispanic recipes were so effective and efficient that we still use many of them today.

In this sense, It is good to know that there are many options that the world of beauty offers us to take care of our skin.. However, we do not always choose the most appropriate; without a doubt, those that nature gives us, give us greater advantages. And when it comes to caring for our face, it is important to take into account everything from the moisturizers that we apply, through the makeup, to the products to remove them, all of them have a chemical load that does not always rejuvenate the skin cells in the best way. way.

In the same way, many beauty and personal care products have a high content of processed substances, which in the long run, condemn our skin to the slavery of its use, robbing it of its natural freshness. Neverthelessan indisputable alternative is this pre-Hispanic plant, which has been the secret of Mayan beauty many years ago. Therefore, that ancestral knowledge of the Mayan culture was not forgotten, and has come down to us thanks to popular traditions.

On the other hand, the famous Mexican actress, Salma Hayek, confessed in an interview with the women’s magazine she her beauty secret: «I don’t need botox, I use a product called tepezcohuite, that in Mexico it is used to treat burn victims, because it completely regenerates the skin; but in the United States, it is hardly used.”

Modern science and the latest research have found vital elements for cell regeneration in tepezcohuite; such as magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, and manganese. Other components of creams made from tepezcohuite are flavonoids, saponins and alkaloids; they have antioxidant properties, so they combat skin aging, smooth expression lines, and give us a more youthful appearance.

It is not surprising that this miraculous shrub is called in Mexico «the skin tree». Thanks to its innumerable benefits, we can age slowly and stay young longer. It is a miracle of nature!