Calafate or Michay
By Pilar Cimato

I would like to tell you a little story about a bush which is usually found in Chilean and Argentina Patagonia.. This bush is called Calafate or Michay (Barberis buxifolia), it belongs to Berbidaceas family. Its fruits are little blue-violet berries .

Everybody says “… who eat Calafate´s fruit do not leave Patagonia never more. If you are foreinger and you are alone, you will marry and live at Patagonia for your whole life. The first people who arrived to Patagonia, married with countrymen, had children and died in Patagonia. If you leave Patogonia, then you return, perhaps, the fruit is blue-violet like countrygirls dark colour, as the power for the man who eats it. All of us belive that Calafate has this power”.

Although this story, Barberis buxifolia is a plant native to the Andes mountains of Chile and Argentina. As tell in the story the fruit is eatable, and if you mash and mix it with honey, the mix is very good for cold and fever. It has laxative properties too.

The active principles, wich allows to “be” a plant with medicine properties , like alkaloids, tannin and resin, gives it bacteriological properties, like peneciline.

Source: Pilar Cimato. Professor of Biological Sciences specialized in environmental health sciences. Her research background has focused on the native and exotic plants phytotherapy. Contact to: pilarc31@yahoo.com.ar edicinal plants in Chile

Boldo (Peumus boldus)

Before the Spaniards arrived , boldo was a widely used medicinal plant by several indigenous groups in the country. Specifically, the Mapuche people used boldo for dislocations and rheumatism (Gusinde, 1917).

Boldo is a highly valued herb because of its medicinal effects, that has been subject of attention of naturalists and scientists from beginnings of the last century. Nowadays, the use of boldo is spread throughout all the national territory as well as in many places of the world. In fact, at world-wide level it is one of the most spread national species because of its verified and exceptional curative properties, that include alkaloids, essential oils, and flavonoides at the same time.

Boldine is an alkaloid present in boldo which stimulates the production of gastric juice and bile, increasing the secretion of urea and uric acid. It has a slightly hypnotic effect. Within their essential oils there are eucaliptol, ascaridiol and p-cimol which are substances with antiinflammatory and carminative properties. The properties of boldo can be summed up as follows: it is a digestive stimulant, colagogo and colerético. It also has sedative effects on the nervous system. All researchersl are agree about these medicinal properties, although some suggest to use boldo for other health problems such as: alleviate toothache, rheumatic pains, etc.

Uses

Infusion: (as digestive stimulant and sedative) Pour boiled water on the leaves of boldo. Take it warm, after meals.

Poultice: (neuralgia and rheumatic pains) Boil the leaves in a bit of water, then use a clean cloth to apply it on affected area.

Bath: (for the rheumatic pains) Boil a lot of leaves in two or three liters of water. Strain and add to the bath. Take the bath with a temperature of 35°C for about half an hour (1 cup of salt of sea and 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate could be added.)

Source: http://www.mundonuevo.cl

Information from beingindigenous.org

According to the Mapuche medicine, there are four types of medicinal herbs: “Weychafeke Lawen” (strong herbs), “füshku lawen” (soft herbs), “reke lawen” (native herbs of common use but difficult to get) and rukake lawen” (of common use)

Weychafeke Lawen – Strong herbs

Palgiñ o Palqui: it is used like a “contra” (to weaken negative energies generally caused by envy). It is used to bring down a fever, to ease toothache and paralysis, in this case the body is rubbed with a mix of leaves and egg yolk.

Chakay or Espino blanco (Hawthorn): “contra”. It is used for stomachache and gastritis.

Küla o Quila: for rogations. It sap is used for disease of the eyes.

Kurü Mamüll o Palo negro: “contra”. It use for the period pains, indigestions and flatulence In infusions.

Foye o Canelo: The sacred tree of the mapuche people. It is used like “contra” in night ( (Machitun) and daytime (Nguillatun) ceremonies. It is used for bruises and low blood presure too. It have a lot of vitamine-c. It is an “antiescorbútico”.

Wülwe o Contrayerba, huilhue: it is used like “contra”, for indigestion or constipation.

Refü o Tomatillo: “contra”. It is used for rubbing the body and to ease “frío interno”.

Trafen Trafen o Quebracho: It is used like “contra” for children “ojeados”.

Triwe o Laurel: “contra”. To rub the body (warm). In the Machitun , the triwe is plant in the sick person´s house and is used alternate with canelo, in the head and feet. It is used for Flatulence and fever too.

Trupa o Tabaco del Diablo: “contra” in Machitunes. Its strong sap is used like an anesthetics for toothache.

Source: Knowledges and experiences about Mapuche Medicine of two Wenteche families. Mapuche Lawentuwün Epu Reyñma Wenche Ñi Kimün Mew.

Mapuche authors: Luis Alberto Huaiquimil Mulato Elvira Carmen Pichun López Francisca Caniulaf Pichun José Quidel Lincoleo Zoila Maria Hinostroza Cea Olga Ines Alchao Hinostroza Segundo Ceferino Caniulempi Painevil Marcelina Pichun López

Other authors: Teresa Duran Pérez Enrique Hauenstein Barra

Information from beingindigenous.org

MAPUCHE MEDICINE

NGUILLIÚ – Piñón, a typical tree seed of Patagonia

By Pilar Cimato

I would like to share with you a little story about the most nutritive seeds with medicinal properties too. The Piñón is the most typical tree seed of the northewest region of Patagonia, the Araucaria araucana or Pehuén. The story begins like this…

“Before the huinca comes to those places, there was a very cold winter. There was not more food, the people died. The pudú, the choique, the luan had disappeared. Nobody knew where they had gone.

The coná (young people), went to look for animals to hunt, but most of them, never came back. So, the Lonkos (mapuche chiefs), decided to have a meeting, and call for help to others communities, but it was not enough.

One day the coná came back and carried nguilliú. He said that when he was at the Cordillera (Andean mountain range), he met with an old man. The coná told him what has been happening with his people. The old man asked him why they ate with Araucaria ´s seeds, that it the true food that Nguenechén has sent for us. After that the coná did not see anymore the old man.

Everybody met to listen the story, someone said that it was Nguenechén (mapuche god) messenger.

They looked for every seeds, recollected and ate them. Since then, when the Nguillatún is celebrated, the Rehue is set on the Pehuén and everybody drink chafi.”

The Pehuén (Araucaria araucana), an always green tree, is 30 mts high. It is the country’s second most long-lived tree, after the alerce (larch). Some of them live to be a thousand years old.

The young tree develops a pyramidal form and the mature one a short umbrella-shaped.

The smooth bark is greyish-brown in colour and can be up to 8 cm thick. The horizontal branches emerge from the trunk in whorls of 3 – 8 and the tree is covered in scale-like leaves all year round. These trees are mainly dioecious; different trees bear flowers of different sexes. The large cones develop in the upper branches and bright orange-brown seeds are released.

The mapuche people cook the seeds in various ways or ferment them for a drink. Then with raw seeds, they prepare a bread, calls “ canuto” . Its nutritional power is very high.

About its medicine properties, the pehuén resin is utilized for ulcer and lumbago. Even though is utilized like poultice to heal wounds.

Source: Pilar Cimato. Professor of Biological Sciences specialized in environmental health sciences. Her research background has focused on the native and exotic plants phytotherapy. Contact to: pilarc31@yahoo.com.ar edicinal plants in Chile

Information from beingindigenous.org