2023-05-16 16:00:35
“Culturally we have always used natural medicine. Our grandmothers bet on home remedies to cure any disease. For this reason, it is common that now when we comment that we are sick, someone recommends us to drink some herb tea or include the plant in our diet”, comments the naturopath Eduardo Mendoza.
Plants are classified based on curative, aromatic, noxious, abortifacient, poisonous, and general species effects. Medicinal plants are those that have an optimal effect for the treatment of diseases in the human body and in animals.in special cases, it is read in the Handbook of medicinal plants. Description and application of the Community Health Services Association (ASECSA).
medicinal plants They have great socioeconomic importance in the communities because they are used with ancestral practices that provide well-being. and maintain biological and ecosystem diversity. Therefore, it is said that they are a part of the therapeutic and curative wealth of natural medicine within the indigenous or ancestral medicine system.
Among the benefits of the correct use of medicinal plants we can mention: they are easy for families to grow, they are accessible, they are used to alleviate and/or prevent many diseasesmake ancestral knowledge valued, avoid expenses in crises and emergencies and treat several diseases at the same time and do not generate side effects.
These types of plants can be grown by seeds, such as apazote, pericón and chamomile; by root, such as thyme, cilantro, celery and ginger; per stem: such as mint, rosemary and basil; and for offspring, such as aloe vera, arnica, and valerian.
Most common medicinal plants
In Guatemala there are several medicinal plants, since “in the country the flora is abundant and blessed in terms of therapeutic properties due to the diversity of climate and soil, which enhances their property,” says María José Ovalle, therapist in natural medicine and holistic health coaching.
Some of the most common medicinal plants and their properties are listed below.
Basil
Scientific name: Basil Basil L.
Properties: This plant is used for digestive conditions, as it improves digestion, favors the expulsion of gases in the stomach and intestines; respiratory and nervous The infusion has properties for colic, stomach pain, constipation and menstrual pain; also to wash wounds and acne.
Observations: There are different types of basil, but the most common are green or white and purple; which have the same properties.
How to prepare it: Place a handful of basil leaves in 250ml of water, bring to a boil over low heat covered. Drink the infusion three times a day.
Anise
Scientific name: Pimpinella Anisum L.
Properties: It helps to treat respiratory, digestive or gastrointestinal diseases, since it reduces abdominal swelling and decreases the production of gases, calms stomach pain and is used to provoke appetite. It works as an antiseptic, diuretic, fungicide, spasmolytic, sudorific and tonic. It also helps to calm bone pain in rheumatic people.
How to prepare it: It is suggested to consume two to three times a day in infusion.
Apazote o epazote
Scientific name: Teloxys Ambrosioides.
Properties: It is characterized by being antiparasitic, healing, relaxing, antiseptic and diuretic. It decreases menstrual and stomach pains, it is used as a calming agent in the face of excessive nervousness, it clears the respiratory tract and increases the production of breast milk.
How to prepare it: place about 5 leaves in 250ml of water, bring to a boil over low heat covered. You can also do it as an infusion, that is, place the leaves for 5 minutes after the water has boiled. Consume 2 times a day.
Celery
Scientific name: Celery
Properties: It has characteristics as a sedative, which is why it is used to fall asleep; Due to its high potassium and sodium content, it is diuretic, decreases uric acid and purifies the body; it is laxative, favors good digestion; It is used as an antibiotic and healing. Also, to control body weight. It favors the secretion of saliva and gastric juices and helps control hypertension.
Observations: Its consumption is not recommended when you have acute kidney problems, during pregnancy and when you have allergic reactions.
How to prepare it: It is recommended to take it as an infusion three times a day, it can also be included in meals or blended and taken on an empty stomach.
Cinnamon
Scientific name: Cinnamomun zeylanicum N.
Properties: Cinnamon is characterized by being antibiotic, hypoglycemic, and coadjuvant in multiple chronic pathologies. It is anti-inflammatory, which is why it is related to the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and cognitive impairment.. Reduces cholesterol, triglyceride, high blood pressure and glucose levels. Protects the skin from irritation, allergies and infections.
How to prepare it: the ideal is to consume it in infusion.
coriander or cilantro
Scientific name: Coriander sativum L.
Properties: it is rich in vitamins A, C, K, B1 and B2; in iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Therefore, it is an adjuvant in meteorism, carnitine, spasmolytic and sudorific, hypoglycemic. Its properties help digestion, relieve constipation, colic and flatulence.
How to prepare it: It is usually used as a seasoning and to decorate meals, but it can also be consumed as an infusion.
Clove
Scientific name: Aromatic syzygium.
Properties: Contains flavonoids, which help control blood glucose. It is also used to relieve digestive problems such as flatulence, diarrhea, and vomiting; it also controls dizziness and because it is an expectorant and anti-inflammatory it is added in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and common colds.
How to prepare it: There are clove essential oils for sale, but it is also recommended as an infusion.
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