Making a herbal cream for rheumatism
A series of photographs were made in Tihosuco with Dona Mariana Tun Poot
showing how she made a medicinal cream from herbs. She and other people
in the village regularly made herbal preparations for their own use, or
to sell within Tihosuco or the surrounding villages and towns. The photographs
were made with the idea in mind of using them to assist workshops in herbal
medicines and/or as part of a display for other interested people and
schools.
What you need:
- The parts of 14 plants (more details of these are given below): Poleo
plant, Ek'ki'xil leaves, Xma'k'ulan leaves, Arnica leaves, Albahaca
(basil) leaves, Ya'ax laal stem, Belladonna leaves, Ja'abin leaves,
Koopo' leaves, X-k'aj xikin leaves, Yerbabuena (mint) plant, Tankas
che' bark, X-sina'an ak' leaves and Baake ak' leaves.
- Two large pots: one to wash the herbs in and the other to heat the
herbs in.
- A good fire for the cooking pan.
- A large sharp knife.
- A large ball of vegetable fat.
- Clean small jars to put the cream in.
- Muslin cloth and sieve for straining the mixture
- A container for temporarily holding the strained mixture
How to make the cream:
First the plants which are needed for the preparation are harvested.
These are preferably gathered fresh, although the herbs dried can also
be used. Some of the herbs were gathered from the surrounding countryside
whilst others were harvested from Dona Mariana's garden.
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Arnica
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Ya'ax laal
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Belladonna
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The herbs are then gathered together, along with the other materials,
and are laid out on a table. At this point Dona Mariana can check that
she has all the herbs she needs for the cream.
The herbs and equipment
needed for the cream
Click on this line for
a more detailed description about the herbs used.
Cut the leaves into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add some fresh
clean water and rinse the cut leaves to remove any dirt or insects that
may be on them. If the leaves are particularly dirty, it is best to wash
them a couple of times.
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Cutting the leaves
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Washing the leaves
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| Cutting the leaves Washing the leaves Once the leaves have
been thoroughly washed, transfer them to the main pot used over the fire.
Add a couple of Jicaras (a few cups) of water to the pot and give the leaves
a good scrunching up by hand. This serves to break up and bruise the leaves
more so that their juices will combine better with the fat. |
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Into the cooking bowl
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Scrunching
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| Into the cooking bowl Scrunching Next the parts of the other
herbs must be added. The bark of Tankas che' is scraped off the stem with
the knife into the mixture. Also the middle part of the Ya'ax laal stem
is scraped out with the knife. |
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Bark of Tankas che'
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Ya'ax laal stem
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| Bark of Tankas che' Ya'ax laal stem The mixture is now ready
to place over a hot fire. This must be hot enough to heat the mixture but
not too hot that it will burn the preparation. The pan is stirred regularly
so that it will heat evenly, and also to stop the mixture from sticking
to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture has come to the boil the vegetable
fat can be put in. This is broken down into smaller chunks with the stirring
spoon and is gradually melted into the preparation. The pan must be stirred
continuously, again to avoid the mixture from burning. This time can be
used discussing various matters or for reflecting over what needs to be
done. |
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Put over a fire
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Add the fat
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Stir continuously
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| Put over a fire Add the fat Stir continuously When the mixture
looks as though it is well cooked, usually after about 20-25 minutes, it
is ready for putting into the jars. Take the pan off the heat and allow
it to cool for a short while. Then pour the contents of the pan into some
muslin cloth, lain within a sieve, held over a container big enough to hold
the strained mixture. After this is done, the liquid can then be poured
into the small individual jars and capped soon after. When left for a while
the liquid solidifies and is then ready for labelling and for using in the
home or for selling to other people. |
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Well cooked!
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Straining the mixture
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Putting into jars
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| Well cooked! Straining the mixture Putting into jars The herbs
are prepared and used in many ways. Some of the herbs were used fresh, either
put directly onto the part affected or mixed with other herbs and materials
before using. In addition to creams, soaps, shampoos, syrups, infusions
for drinking and for bathing in were also prepared. Herbalists sold all
manners of herbal products. A popular one, used against cancer, was sold
as a sachet of dried powder, which was then mixed with egg white or water
and applied to the skin. |
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Root poultice
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Dona Marciana using soap
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