Category: Herbs

Herbs, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Achiote (Annatto)

Alo called : urucum, açafrão , açafroa , açafroeria-de-terra (Brazil), axiote (Mexico), bija (Peru, Cuba), santo-domingo (Puerto Rico), urucu (Argentina, Bolivia), bixa (Guyana), analto (Honduras), onotto, onotillo (Venezuela), guajachote (El Salvador), lipstick tree Achiote is a Yucatecan spice obtained from the seeds of the Bixa orellana shrub/tree. Achiote held a sacred function for the Mayas and Aztecs as an extract of the plant was regarded as a symbolic … Continue reading Achiote (Annatto)

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Herbs, The Kitchen

Quelite : Verdolagas : Purslane

Portulaca oleracea, It is commonly known as purslane in English also called : itzmiquilitl (obsidian arrow quelite), pigweed, pursley, verdolagas (en Español), graviol (quecchi), paxlac (quiché), xukul (Maya), Mixquilit (Nahuatl), X’pul cac (Totonaco), Matac’ani (Otomí), Sa´luchi Chamo (Raramurí); (Asian names) gulasiman (Phillipines), kulfa (Hindi), ma chi xian (Chinese), (Australian aboriginal names) munyeroo (Diyari), baragilya or thibi (Wajarri), Like many of the quelites, purslane is an agricultural … Continue reading Quelite : Verdolagas : Purslane

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Herbs, The Kitchen

Quelite : Sowthistle : Sonchus oleraceus

also called : smooth sowthistle, milk thistle (1), rauriki, pūhā, pūwhā, pororua, lechuguilla, cerraja, cola de zorra (foxtail), colewort, hares lettuce, hares thistle, rabbit thistle, kŭcài (苦菜)(bitter vegetable) Another plant introduced into Mexico that can be considered a quelite is sowthistle. Sowthistle is an annual herb native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is a common urban plant, which in many places is considered … Continue reading Quelite : Sowthistle : Sonchus oleraceus

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Curanderismo, Herbs, The Kitchen

Quelite : Huauzontle

Chenopodium nuttalliae (syn : C.berlandieri) “hairy amaranth” – from the Nahuatl huauhtli ‘amaranth’ and tzontli ‘hair’ According to a Mexican government website (1) the cultivation of huauzontle was prohibited by the Spanish, along with amaranth (2), due to its use in religious rites linked to human sacrifice. Huauzontles are a highly nutritious plant from the Chenopodium or “Goosefoot” family. Other plants in this family include … Continue reading Quelite : Huauzontle

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Curanderismo, Herbs, Native Plants

Damiana : Turnera diffusa

syn T.aphrodisiaca (although there are claims that these are two different plants) Also called : Hierba del pastor, shepherds herb, Hierba del venado, damiana de California (or Guerrero), mizib-coc (misibcoc, misib-cooc, xmisibcoc, miixcoc)(Maya) This herb is native to Mexico, southern Texas, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. In Mexico it is used to flavour liqueurs for an aphrodisiac effect. In 1699 Father Juan Maria … Continue reading Damiana : Turnera diffusa

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Curanderismo, Herbs

Quelite : Plantain

Plantago major also called : lanté (Chiapas), lanten, llantén, rorogochi (Raramuri)Common names : white man’s foot (because everywhere the white man walks it springs up in their footsteps), common plantain, waybread Family : PlantaginaceaeParts used : leaves – aerial parts, seeds Constituents : Leaves – mucilage, glycosides (aucubin), tannins, chlorogenic acid, ursolic acid, silicic acid, mineralsSeeds – mucilage, oils, protein, starch Plantain has been cited … Continue reading Quelite : Plantain

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Curanderismo, Herbs, The Kitchen

Chenopodiums

Chenopod – from Ancient Greek χήν (khḗn, “goose”) + πούς (poús, “foot”) One of the most tenacious, hardy and useful species of wild herb is the Chenopodium. The use of this family of plants has a long history. Archaeological finds suggest that some chenopods, such as fat hen, were not only collected from the wild but may in fact have been cultivated as far back … Continue reading Chenopodiums

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Herbs, The Kitchen

Yerba Porosa : (Unknown Porophyllum)

The porophyllum species continues to surprise. I have recently come across an organic seed seller in Florida who is selling a plant they call Yerba porosa. Yerba porosa is a common name that frequently refers to P.ruderale and translates to “porous herb” (grass) in reference to the oil filled glands (or pores) that give this herb its distinctive flavour profile. The variety of this plant … Continue reading Yerba Porosa : (Unknown Porophyllum)

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Curanderismo, Herbs, The Kitchen

Cempasúchil

Tagetes erecta (syn Caryophyllus Indicus)Also known as : Flor de muerto, African marigold, Cempoalxόchitl (Nahuatl name “twenty flower”, from cempohualli – twenty and xochitl – flower), cempasuchitl, zempasuchitl, apátsicua (purépecha and tarasco), caxiyhuitz (huasteco), guie’biguá, guie’coba, picoa and quiepi-goa (zapoteco), kalhpu’xa’m (totonaco), Ita-Cuaan (Mixtec), Jondri (Otomí), Genda phool, Genda (Hindi, Bengali), Chenduhoovu, Chendu huva (Kannada), Ghenda (Marathi), Galaghoto (Gujarati), Chendu malli (Malayalam), Banti Puvuu (Telgu), … Continue reading Cempasúchil

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Curanderismo, Herbs, The Kitchen

Cumin

Amongst the spices introduced to Mexico with the Spanish was the seed of an umbelliferous plant in the Apiaceae family (1) known as Cumin (Cuminum cyminum). Cumin was very popular in ancient Rome and containers of it were kept on the dinner table much like pepper is today. Cumin is native to an area of the Eastern Mediterranean known as the Levant. The term Levant originally meant “the … Continue reading Cumin

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