Mayan medicine: Ancient holistic healing

By Hope Gillette, Saludify

When you hear “Mayas” you probably think of pyramids or even end-of-the-world prophecies. But the Mayan cultures are actually so much more complex than that.

All of Latin America is steeped in the lore and traditions of those who came before our generation, and so revered are ancestral beliefs and values — many still practiced  today. One of those ancient traditions is Mayan medicine, a holistic approach to healing that focuses on both the spiritual and physical aspects of wellbeing.

“Mayan medicine considers man as an integral and interactive part of the cosmos and of society, which is why his actions all have their own repercussions. Any change or action of nature, community or family, affects man, causing health or illness,” explains Anabell Castañeda of Yucatan Today. “So health is the result of living according to the laws of nature and society, and illness is the result of the transgression of those laws.”

Most recently, Mayan medicine was discussed globally when Rigoberta Menchu told the press she was performing Mayan ceremonies to help Hugo Chavez heal.

“This is not something folkloric. We focus our energies from the wisdom of our Mayan ancestors,” Menchu said at the time, reported AFP news agency.

Mayan healing ceremonies are full of sophisticated rituals dedicated to Mother Earth, Dr. Amir Farid Isahak told The Star Online.

“Their traditional medicine is similarly wholly dependent on the healing powers provided by the earth—its soil, water, plants and creatures. Most of their remedies come from the jungle,” he said.

“Mayan traditional medicine is actually very sophisticated. Mayan traditional healers try to harmonize their lives and their patients’ lives with Mother Earth. Mayan traditional healing is holistic healing, with full awareness that the body, mind, emotions, spirit and environment are all interconnected. Their healers know that healing occurs only when there is balance and harmony in the patient’s life. They also heal with love from their hearts.”

Historical context

Mayan medicine is as ancient as the Mayan societies themselves, and while most people think of the pyramids when they think of Mayan civilization, the classic period of the culture actually ran from 300 to about 900 AD. During this time the civilization made most of its advancements in the arts and sciences–including medicine.

The primary territories for the Mayan culture included present day Belize, Guatemala, the western parts of Honduras and El Salvador and the Yucatan, Tabasco and Chiapas regions of Mexico.

And Mayan medicine remained strong, surviving  the Conquistadors, an influx of Christian missionaries, and eventually the abandonment of the great Mayan cities throughout much of Latin America.

The reason for this preservation of medical knowledge, explains Vitality Magazine, is that the medical practices of the Mayans were typically passed down through oral tradition from one generation to the next.

In fact, Mayan medicine is one of the only traditions to have made it through the destruction brought on by the Spaniards, though a Spanish influence can be seen among many modern-day medicinal practices.

Modern Mayan medicine often features prayer to Christian deities in addition to the Mayan pantheon.

What are the core principles of Mayan medicine?

According to Lev G. Fedyniak, MD, there are 6 core aspects to Mayan medicine:

The life force (ch’ulel): Is everywhere and connects all living creatures. Mayan healers often work to balance this force into harmony with other life forces around the individual such as trees and animals.  Ch’ulel can also be manipulated through prayer and directed where it is needed. The concept is interestingly similar to some Easter medicine practices.

Connection of the body and soul: There is no distinction between the physical and the spiritual realms in Mayan medicine — they are both ends of what is considered to be a continuum.

The natural cycle: In Mayan medicine, everything is part of a natural cycle; death brings life and so on and so forth. An intricate part of this cycle and its application in Mayan medicine involves the use of plants, which are said to choose healers and form a special bond with those individuals.

Even in healing, there is balance: All aspects of healing in Mayan medicine are necessary because they are all seen as equal. This means the healer, the patient, the plants in use, the spirits involved, and the prayers said all share the same importance in the process.

Status of blood: The health of the body can be determined through blood in Mayan medicine, meaning healers can tell by an individual’s pulse if they are suffering from an illness.

Hot and cold: Both diseases and treatments are labeled as “hot” or “cold” in Mayan medicine, and not only will a “cold” illness require a “hot” treatment and vice versa , but individuals who continually practice Mayan beliefs generally do not eat something “cold” followed by something “hot” or vice versa because it is considered a shock to the body’s systems.

Mayan healers then and now

The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology indicates Mayan healers can be male or female, and are typically referred to as Hmeen. There is no hierarchy among those currently in practice, and one Hmeen’s medicinal practice may be entirely different from another’s. Some prefer to specialize in an area of treatment, such as bone setting, herbalism, divination, or midwife practices.

Traditionally, the knowledge of a Hmeen was passed down from one person to another, usually within a single family. More modern practices, however, while they may include ancestral knowledge, usually involve attendance to a shaman school. Depending on the program, modern Hmeen study under multiple practicing healers, this way learning multiple treatments and applications for Mayan medicine.

Common Mayan medicine rituals and treatments

Since illness is an unbalance, the basis of Mayan medicine is returning the balance to the body through strengthening the connection with both nature and the spiritual realm. Therefore, plants and ceremonies are a core part of this practice.

Common Mayan medicine rituals also include prayer ceremonies and drawing energy from the Earth and from the Heavens.

Bodies: The Expedition, a touring museum feature, elaborates on some of the common practices used in Mayan medicine.

Sweat baths: Seen as a purification method, sweat baths were achieved through saunas constructed out of stone. Water was poured over hot rocks to produce steam, thus encouraging the patient to sweat out his or her impurities. Sweat baths were seen as particularly useful for women who were pregnant.

Mayan healing fires: Another common application of Mayan medicine, healing fires involved burning sacred offerings shaped into mandalas in order to facilitate an exchange between the spiritual and physical realms. Healing fires do not need to be specific to one individual; communities often participated in this event, each person bringing their own offerings for their own purposes to the fire.

Herb bath: Herb baths were soaks used to cleanse the body of a particular malady. Depending on the issues at hand, various plants and herbs were combined in the water and prayers were said over the individual.

In addition to ceremony, however, the medicinal use of plants was a large part of Mayan medicine. What information and evidence has been retained from the era of the Mayans has shown the following plants were commonly used to treat a variety of illnesses:

• Chili peppers to rid the body or parasites, ward off evil spirits and treat issues like the common cold.
• Cacao or the cocoa plant, though the exact application is unknown.
• Tobacco in high quantities to induce visions.
• Psilocybin mushrooms have been depicted often in the Mayan culture and were said to have been one of the first plants the Spanish priests attempted to regulate usage of.
• Morning glory seeds to induce visions.

Some traditional healing recipes, outlined by Yucatan Today, included:
(Please do not try these at home without supervision and approval of a health professional)

For treatment of diabetes:

Ingredients:
I leaf of trumpet tree (guarumbo)
1 handful of Neem leaves
7 Xkanlol leaves

Preparation and dose:
Boil the ingredients in 2 liters of water for 13 min (after the water begins to boil). Drink as water for 3 weeks, then rest for one week and repeat as necessary until results obtained (varies by patient). Recommended to drink the full recipe each day and do not drink alcohol during treatment. Maximum time to eradicate diabetes: 3 months.

For treatment of anemia:

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Chaya de Monte (see photo)
1 bunch of stinging nettle.

Boil the ingredients in 4 liters of water, leave to boil for 13 min. Remove from heat and cover. Drink one cup every 6 hours for 7 days, rest for 5 days, and repeat until results obtained. Results vary by individual. Eradication of problem in 3 months.

For treatment of asthma:

Ingredients:
1 handful of eucalyptus
7 cow’s foot lily flowers
1 handful of large oregano
½ handful of small oregano
7 lemon tea leaves
7 soursop (guanabana) leaves

Preparation and dose:
Boil the ingredients in 2 liters of water for 7 min (after the water begins to boil). Cover and allow to steep until lukewarm, and sweeten with honey. Drink every 6 hours for 3 weeks, then rest for one week and repeat as necessary until results obtained (varies by patient). Recommended not to drink anything cold during treatment and avoid exposure to cold. Maximum time to eradicate asthma: 52 days.

As with all traditional and holistic treatments, consultation with a regular medical provider is advised to ensure no complications, such as allergic or pharmaceutical reactions might occur.

Considered a mixture of holistic and folk medicine, Mayan medicine is discounted by some while held in high esteem by others; Western medicine often dismisses Mayan practices because of the strong tie it places between health and the spiritual world.

“Western-trained doctors tend to underestimate the power of folk healing and the hold it has on many people’s psyches,” explained Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist and author based at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Aboujaoude adds that many patients from traditional backgrounds have such a strong expectation that a folk intervention will work, that, perhaps through a process similar to the placebo effect seen in some medication studies, it ends up working. Rather than dismissing folk healing, doctors should try to understand it and understand the role it plays in their patients’ lives.

This article was first published in Saludify.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage.