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help us heal. A prayer seemed like a small price to pay for such a gift, I<br />
mused.<br />
He repeated the ensalmo for me ever so slowly: “I am the one who<br />
walks in the mountains seeking the medicine to heal the people. I give<br />
thanks to the Spirit of this plant, and I have faith <strong>with</strong> all my heart that this<br />
plant will heal the sicknesses of the people. God the Father, God the Son,<br />
and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.”<br />
“This one <strong>with</strong> the white string flower is Cordoncillo,” he said. “There<br />
are many kinds.” He crushed a leaf and held it to my nose. Then he had me<br />
taste the flower, and I was reminded of licorice. “Cordoncillo should always<br />
be added to the Xiv mixture and is strong medicine on its own.” Later I<br />
learned the plant was known in English as Spanish Elder.<br />
“And, Rosita, when you’re gathering medicine, never say to yourself, ‘I<br />
hope this works,’ or ‘Maybe this will work.’ No, no, you must say <strong>with</strong><br />
complete confidence in the plants and faith in God that these plants will<br />
heal. And they will, I promise you.”<br />
I told him not to worry, I was a person blessed <strong>with</strong> a great deal of faith.<br />
“It is good to have faith. That is the most important lesson you will<br />
learn from me,” he continued. “With faith, everything is possible. Believe<br />
this, for it is true.”<br />
As we traveled deeper and higher into the forest, the soil changed from<br />
thin and rocky to soft and rich. It was damp and dark and the aroma of<br />
decaying humus filled the air.<br />
Panti’s long cutlass bounced against his leg as he walked. He took the<br />
cutlass out of its leather case whenever he needed to cut away a vine or<br />
branch impeding our progress.<br />
“Humph. This vine thinks I don’t have a machete,” he said, ever so<br />
gently slicing back only what was necessary to make our way through.<br />
Every now and then on the trail, he touched the end of a toxic plant <strong>with</strong><br />
the tip of his machete as a warning. He told me about Wild Chaya, which<br />
bears stinging white hairs that can easily penetrate through layers of<br />
clothing. When it touches the skin it forms blisters that burn for days.<br />
He showed me the delicate vine <strong>with</strong> lovely white flowers called<br />
Lindahermosa (“pretty beautiful” in Spanish), which has thorns that cling<br />
<strong>with</strong> barbs, tearing out pieces of flesh as you pass by. Then he warned about<br />
the Cockspur or Zubin tree that signals its danger <strong>with</strong> its bark blanketed<br />
<strong>with</strong> fat, razor-sharp thorns that harbor biting ants.