Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

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Palo Verde Eupatorium (Critonia) morifolium Pheasant Tail Cola de Faisán Xiv Yak Tun Ich Anthurium schlechtendalii Rosemary Romero Rosemarinus officinalis Rue Ruda Sink In Ruta graveolens Skunk Root Zorillo Payche Chiococca alba Sour Orange Tree Naranja Agria Citrus aurantium Soursop Guanabana Annona muricata Spanish Elder, Buttonwood Cordonsillo Ixu Bal Piper amalago Tzibche Crotolaria cajanifolia Vegetable Pear Chayote Cho Cho, Wiskil Sechium edule Wild Coffee, Suprecayo Café Sylvestre Eremuil Malmea depressa Boil fresh leaves for use as herbal bath for any ailment. Part of the Xiv formula. Boil leaves and use as steam bath for rheumatism, arthritis, swellings, paralysis, and fluid retention. Drink tea of leaves to cleanse stomach of mucus. Burn with Copal resin as incense to ward off evil spirits and envy. Squeeze fresh plant into water and drink for hysteria, menstrual cramps, stomachache, and onset of epilepsy. Take with Zorillo and white stone to ward off spiritual diseases such as evil, envy, or fright. Fresh plant also used for delayed menses, labor, and delivery. Boil and drink root or bark of vine to dispel envy and evil spirits. Drunk by shamans to increase powers, used to cleanse internal organs for stomach ulcers, and as a bath for many skin conditions or sores on mucus membranes. A wild tree whose fruits are used as substitutes for lemons. Drink an infusion of the leaves for fever, colds, flu, and hangover. Boil leaves in sugar with other species to make cough syrup. The fruit is commonly made into ice cream. Over twelve varieties found in Belize; all are medicinal. Mostly used for herbal bathing for a variety of ailments, especially for skin conditions, headaches, nervousness, insomnia, and children’s disorders. Root of most varieties is chewed for toothache. Used in herbal bath formulas and to brush Primicia participants to protect them from being harmed by the Winds of the Spirits. A backyard vining vegetable bearing pear-shaped fruits with a mild flavor reminiscent of zucchini. Drink mixture of fruits and leaves boiled in water for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Prime ingredient in herbal bath formula. Use alone as bath for stubborn conditions, especially for backache, muscle spasms, hysteria, nightmares, and insomnia.
Wild Poinsettia Flor de Pasqua Sylvestre Euphorbia pulcherrima Wild Poppy Chicalote Argemone mexicana Wild Yam Cocolmeca Dioscorea sp. Braid nine branches to be worn around the neck of nursing mother to increase milk supply—also bathe breasts with a tea made of plant before nursing. Exudes a white milky sap akin to opium. Useful as a sedative, for insomnia and pain, and to calm coughs. Chop and boil tuber to drink for rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes, anemia, and fatigue.
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DEDICATION Dedicated to Don Elijio
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CONTENTS DEDICATION EPIGRAPH ACKNOW
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to tha
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The Whole Earth Review for assignin
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tenderness reserved for a favorite
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sometimes combining nutritional or
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MAP
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unsolved mystery until years later
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CHAPTER ONE Linden Flowers, Basswoo
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As soon as I heard his name, I almo
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The old man’s friend had come for
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the soil was impoverished, hardpan
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opposite bank. In Belizean fashion,
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of the village farms, finding an un
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“Are there no curanderos in your
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Hours later, he reappeared—showin
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CHAPTER THREE Wormseed Epasote Chen
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“It is too damp and muddy for me
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“This is Man Vine. This plant is
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man’s hand back and forth, causin
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CHAPTER FOUR Amaranth Amaranto Cala
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One day he stopped to trade and tal
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uins of the Maya city of Tikal. The
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would become seriously ill. This he
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CHAPTER FIVE Jackass Bitters Tres P
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that cure. I was sad when he left m
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three places, using the sharp end o
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myself to sleep in the dust. I had
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CHAPTER SIX Corn Maize Im Che Zea m
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“I’m willing to wait three year
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nothing about them. Please, I want
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strapping on plastic flour sacks, m
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We’d been steadily trudging uphil
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acks and the emerging midday heat.
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Where were we now? How far was it y
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we had our share of arguments. The
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the northern strain—I bathed them
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CHAPTER NINE Anal Psychotria acumin
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“Claudia, at your service. Maybe
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CHAPTER TEN Wild Yam Cocolmeca Dios
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He also believed in the Nine Malevo
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I had to admire Don Elijio’s simp
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stone tools, spinning whorls, shard
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four-star hotel. Panti put down his
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Spirits. All of our crystals came o
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“I leave these jícaras with you
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Crystal was sleeping on her bed und
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The aroma of moist, rotting humus w
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There was no evidence and no case,
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We opened the door wide to let the
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make them tired and dizzy. We must
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When I returned with the three-part
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Doña Juana held the lantern overhe
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ailing women came from all over Cen
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He instructed her to boil a handful
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weakness in the legs, and constipat
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Not too confidently, I began to exa
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN Balsam Tree Balsamo
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Later in the day, one of the crew,
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Panti wanted to consult his sastun
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN Allspice Pimienta G
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He was both excited and bewildered,
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I also knew what he meant when he p
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able to treat the mind, body, and s
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that once belonged to a child’s e
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Viento de descuido means Wind of Ca
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worthy of her. She comes out of the
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loodcurdling cry, followed by the s
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Panti spoke quietly to her as she g
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had first seen the book in the 1950
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CHAPTER NINETEEN Duck Flower Contri
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“They don’t understand,” he s
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Doña Rosa spent the night and we h
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men who had asked him to give up hi
Page 152 and 153: to offer. As we left, one suggested
Page 154 and 155: Che Xiv, the chief herb formula tha
Page 156 and 157: CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Billy Webb Tree
Page 158 and 159: whispering, kissing and whispering
Page 160 and 161: “I lost my daughter. I lost my wi
Page 162 and 163: Antonio who shared his respect for
Page 164 and 165: I was unable to refuse his request.
Page 166 and 167: By the time I had finished, Antonio
Page 168 and 169: CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Cross Vine Cru
Page 170 and 171: I followed him in, and he sat down
Page 172 and 173: I saw that he was crying and bent o
Page 174 and 175: and met Saint Peter. He looked at m
Page 176 and 177: A few weeks later, on February 4, 1
Page 178 and 179: pamphlet. On the back, we printed a
Page 180 and 181: esembles a basement. There is a cla
Page 182 and 183: PICTURE SECTION
Page 184 and 185: Rosita with Don Elijio on the trail
Page 186 and 187: Don Elijio with patients
Page 188 and 189: Jackass Bitters
Page 190 and 191: Contribo (photos by Michael Balick)
Page 192 and 193: Polly Red Head
Page 194 and 195: Don Elijio gathering herbs on trail
Page 196 and 197: Rosita with Don Elijio chopping med
Page 198 and 199: GLOSSARY OF MAYAN WORDS c’ox ca
Page 200 and 201: Castor Bean Tree, Oil Nut Ricino, I
Page 204 and 205: ABOUT THE AUTHORS Rosita Arvigo Now
Page 206 and 207: COPYRIGHT HarperSanFrancisco and th
Page 208: ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Australia Harpe
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Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

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