Hispanic Herbal Remedies

Tea: A medicinal infusion of 1 oz. of the herb to a pint of boiling water. Take 1 cup a day.

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

These religious and spiritual influences play a major role in the Hispanics health, illness and daily life. In much a similar manner, the Native American Indian family adopts the cultural beliefs to associate with illness and health. They believe that a person’s state of exists when he or she exists in harmony with nature and sickness occurs when an imbalance between the natural or supernatural forces and the sick individual exists (Askim-Lovseth & Aldana, 2010). Traditional health believes and practices involving healing ceremonies and rituals restore balance when illness happens. “These can be conducted by their traditional medicine men or women, who are thought to have compelling powers, the ability to read minds, and know-how in concocting medicine, drugs and poisons.” For the white young family, the cultural belief of invincibility and youth are the driving force behind health prevention (Askim-Lovseth & Aldana, 2010). “Focus on the temporary is regularised, while thinking about health is assigned to an adult person where family accountabilities pertain.” Protecting against illness or disease does not feature into their daily lives. Disease or illness is something that is insubstantial and distant, and unimaginable to their young, resilient bodies and thus irrelevant (Edelman & Mandle, 2010).

In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.

There are still many people on both sides of the spectrum that are skeptical about treatment methods that differ from what they are used to. The validity of an herbal healer in the western world is more likely to be questioned than that of a medical doctor; while in the east, families may have been seeing a healer for decades and are more likely to question the validity of a doctor practicing western

Cultural, traditional, and religious values have an influence on health patterns and behaviors exhibited by the community. Hispanic culture is dominant due to the close proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border. Fifty-two percent of households use a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Therefore, an understanding of Hispanic culture is necessary for health care workers to effectively care for patients in this community.

Native Americans who occupied the land before the arrival of the Europeans possessed a vast knowledge of botanical medicines that intrigued the newcomers. The natives mixed roots, herbs, and plants to cure various medical maladies. Healing for the natives were not just herbal remedies,

They used Spanish folk medicine and Roman Catholic teachings. “Upon encountering western medicine, belief in spiritual causation and treatment of illness may persist in parallel with utilization of allopathic medicine so that prayer and other religious practices may retain high importance (Gillum & Griffith, 2010).” “Mexican and Korean Americans were less likely than the other two groups to believe that a patient should be told the truth about a diagnosis of metastatic cancer and terminal prognosis and were less likely to believe that the patient should make decisions about the use of life support (del Río, 2010).” The Hispanic concerned advance directive, life-prolonging therapy, and

Asians believe in traditional remedies for health restoration, such as acupuncture, cupping, massage, and herbal remedies (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The author’s family was interviewed for the Asian Heritage Assessment. The author’s family subscribes to use of daily exercise, acupuncture, massage, and some herbal remedies. The author’s mother wears jade, and balances the components of her meals, whereas her children are Americanized and do not. The author’s mother uses ginger and various other roots and herbs, whereas her children use roots like ginger for flavoring.

In the Hispanic culture health care is most commonly sought only after symptoms appear. In many cases only when those symptoms cause the individual’s incapacitation. Working through discomfort is considered the norm, dwelling on discomfort or mild pain is seen as weakness and seeking medical attention when not ill, such as preventive care, is almost unheard of.

Dr. James Marcum, a cardiologist at the Chattanooga Heart Institute in Tennessee claims, “Pharmaceutical drugs don’t heal people.” In fact, he states, “Much of the time they do more harm than good”(Milner). U.S. Citizens need to stop taking harmful pills and start using more natural, holistic healing methods. Everyone has probably used a pill before to relieve their pain, but there are healthier ways to feel just as good. According to the results of the National Health Interview Survey, “In 2012, 33.2% of U.S. adults used complementary health approaches”(What Complementary and Integrative Approaches Do Americans Use?). While some people believe conventional medicine is a better choice, it is clear that holistic healing can replace prescription drugs because they are more safe and effective than prescription drugs, and they are more practical in many ways.

Speaking Spanish or any second language opens a lot of doors in life. While the little Spanish I do know is incomprehensible to most fluent Spanish-speakers, it has helped me in some situations. The article Se Habla Espanol by Tanya Maria Barrientos is the story on how she (Tanya) dealt with the tribulations of being born in Guatemala, moved to and raised in the United States, and attempting to learn her native Language once again (Barrientos 645). While many of us, including Tanya, have difficulties learning a new language and understanding others cultures, the struggle will prove to be worth it in the end.

Hispanic Heritage is an important concept that surrounds my entire life. Mexico is a wonderful and beautiful country. This culture has been important in my life because it helps me define who I am and how I view the world in many ways. At the age of 16 my parents crossed over the border to the U.S in order to give a better life to me and my siblings. They came at different times my mom came with my grandma then later on that year my dad came with his parents. My parents didn't know any english to start off just spanish but time passed and my parents learned and understood english. They came over with nothing, my dad would have sleepless nights worrying about what their next meal will be. Till this day both my parents are hard workers, I appreciate and love them for everything they have done. I fit into the Hispanic community by

Because many of the treatments of alternative medicine do not adhere to the principles of conventional medicine, whether or not to allow practice of these techniques in the United States is a major concern of the medical community today. The Food and Drug Administration is the decision making body of issues such as this and more often than not, does not approve many of these practices. Due to the fact that holistic medicine sometimes contradicts the fundamentals of biomedicine, health care regulation boards such as the FDA find it difficult to accept many of these treatments. Because the Western world is so unfamiliar with these techniques it is only natural for medical community to often disprove these methods. However, as more and more doctors discover the limitations of

Herbal medicine has been used for many, many years and is a great natural alternative to modern medicine.