The Ancient Mayan Healing and Medicine

Abhishek VermaAkash PatelAshish Singh

Survived! How?

Arrival of Cortez in 1519.

The Roman Catholic priests who followed conquistadors outdid themselves in trying to destroy Mayan culture.

Bishop Diego de Lande burned 100,000 of writings.

Consisting art, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, history, etc.

But Healing tradition was survived because it passed down orally from generation to generation.

Features of Healing TraditionMedicine practices among the ancient Maya was a complex blend of mind, body, religion, ritual and science.

Health is the result of living according to the laws of nature and society, and illness is the result of the transgression of those laws.

Maya equated sickness with captivity of one’s soul by supernatural beings, angered by some perceived misbehavior.

Medicine was only practiced by the selected one’s who inherited or perceived extensive education.

These people were called shamans, were acted as medium between the physical world and spiritual world and ah-men, the ‘disease thrower’.

SHAMAN

Features of Healing TraditionThe ancient Maya perceived health as “balance”, whereas illness and disease were “imbalance”.

Maya medical texts are devoted to the treatment of symptoms based upon objective observations of the effects of certain plants on the human system

Herbal remedies were ingested, smoked ,snorted, rubbed on the skin, and even used in the form of enemas.

The Six Principles of Mayan Healing

Introduction

The ancient Mayan civilization, was a sophisticated society that had made significant discoveries and advance in many fields.

Much of Mayan writing were lost during Spanish conquests.

But their medical practices and knowledge survived from generation to generation

Life Force Mayan believes that Life force is present in everything, everywhere and are connected.

It mobilizes from living organism to non-living things.

Like people, houses, fire, mountains, bones etc

Healer tries to direct & balance life energy from other sources

Body & Soul Derived from “Life Force” that all things are connected.

There is no separation b/w the spiritual and physical realms.

Different ends of a same continuum

Natural Cycles and PlantsMayan believes nature has remedies and treatment for diseases.

Plant chooses healers and a special relationship develops which allows the healer to utilize the plants.

Healing is a comprehensive approach

All components of healing, the patient, the healer, their spirits, the plants, prayer, are equal.

It requires the participation and cooperation of all component to get patience healthy quickly

Status of the BloodPulses are used to determine imbalance and whether an illness is physical or spiritual.

This is turn determine the course of treatment.

For this bloodletting which was a medical practice as well as a ritual one.

The Hot & Cold The hot and cold concept decides variety of ailment.

Hot in Mayan culture includes fevers, indigestion, diarrhea and vomiting.

Cold in Mayan culture includes cramps, constipation, paralysis and asthma attacks.

Healing Medicines & Practices

Chili-peppers ( Capsicum annuum )

Remedies

Chili peppers can be used torid the body of intestinalworms and parasites.

They are also useful in manycold and flu remedies and arebelieved to ward off evilspirits.

Healing Medicines & PracticesPsilocybin Mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis)

Usage

The Mayans were also known to use mind altering religious substances such as psilocybin mushrooms

Psilocybin mushrooms were distributed and used sparingly by trained shamans for ritual purposes in ancient times.

Healing Medicines & Practices

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

Usage

High quantities to induces visions and mind altering experiences.

Good amount of snuff tubes also been found.

Healing Medicines & Practices

Morning Glory ( Convolvulaceae)

Usage

can produce visions and mind-altering experiences.

Healing Medicines & PracticesJade:

The name Jade is derived from the Spanish "Piedra de Ijada", loin-stone.

Usage

Art and architecture.

ornaments and jewelry.

Recognized by Mayans for healing kidney ailments.

Dental filling and decorations.

Iron pyrite is also used for dental filling.

Healing Medicines & PracticesSAUNA(Sweat bath or 'temezcal)

Usage

New mothers who conceived a child recently.

Cleansing technique used by Mayan rulers.

Purification method of physical and spiritual body of sufferer.

Healing Medicines & PracticesEnema

Procedure of introducing liquids into the rectum and colon via the anus

Usage

Enemas can be carried out as treatment for medical conditions, such as constipation.

To force rapid absorption of substance into blood stream.

Other Healing Practices

The Maya sutured wounds with human hair.

Reduced fractures.

Archeologists found bones which were broken, realigned and healed.

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