Infusions of Healing: A Treasury of Mexican-American Herbal Remedies

The ancient Aztecs were expert horticulturists who cultivated and studied medicinal plants. Gardens flourished and were used by Aztec doctors as laboratories, and every family had a basic knowledge of herbal medicine. This rich, herbal-healing tradition has been passed along and modified by succeeding generations, and much of it is alive and well in Mexican American culture now. In Infusions of Healing, author Joie Davidow traces the history of this tradition. Then she presents a compendium of 200 herbs. For each, she gives the common name, botanical name, other names, description, historical use, scientific validation (if any), parts used, property, what it is used to treat, and any cautions. Another section presents herbal remedies organized by the type of treatment: digestive, urinary, respiratory, aches and pains, and so on. For example, you learn what herbs to use as "mouthwashes" for gum inflammation, how to make liniments for arthritic joints, which teas treat diarrhea, and which herbs can be used topically to soothe irritations, including hemorrhoids. Davidow also profiles modern Mexican American healers, with descriptions of their treatments. This is a fascinating book if you're interested in herbal medicine. --Joan Price