Cnidoscolus chayamansa (Syn C.aconitifolius) Also called : Tree spinach Chaya or Chayamansa is originally from southern Mexico and is popular in Yucatecan Maya cuisine. Chaya grows in size from a large shrub to a small tree. It has edible leaves that are considered more nutritious than spinach that are rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and are an important source of protein. There are many … Continue reading Chaya
Eryngium foetidum Also called : Eryngo, sawtooth Coriander, Mexican coriander, wild coriander, cilantro de hoja, cilantro de monte, ancha (broadleaf cilantro), long coriander, recao, chandon beni, perennial coriander, fitweed, Mexico: cilantron, cilantrillo, cilantro extranjero, Perejil de Tabasco (Mexico), Caribbean: Culantro de Monte, China: Jia Yuan Qian, Germany: Langer Koriander, Mexicanischer Koriander, Jamaica: Spiritweed, Laos: Hom Tay Malaysia: Daun Ketumbar Jawa, Ketumbar Java, Thailand: Pak Chi Farang, … Continue reading Culantro : A Cilantro Mimic
Featured Image by Saad Chaudhry Taraxacum officinale Also called : Diente de león , amargón (bitter), plumerillo, panadero, moraja (Sinaloa), cerraja (Jalisco), globillo, chipule, achicoria, lechuguilla, nocuana-gueeta (Zapotec), botón de oro (gold button) Dandelions are an ubiquitous weed that can be found in all environments from the countryside to the inner city. They are considered native to Eurasia but have migrated to all countries on … Continue reading Quelite : Dandelion
glossary/ˈɡlɒs(ə)ri/an alphabetical list of words relating to a specific subject, text, or dialect, with explanations; a brief dictionary. Throughout this blog I use terms that many may not be familiar with. Due to my training as a naturopath and herbalist I tend to use the terms I was taught without thinking that others may not have a clue about the words I am babbling forth. … Continue reading Glossary of Terms used in Herbal Medicine.
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)
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
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) The plant usually known as milk thistle is a completely different plant, Silybum marianum, which is also known as Saint Mary’s Thistle and is in itself a valuable herbal medicine. Another plant introduced into Mexico that can … Continue reading Quelite : Sowthistle : Sonchus oleraceus
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. https://www.gob.mx/siap/articulos/el-huauzontle-planta-prehispanica-de-importancia-religiosa-y-alimenticia See Post “Amaranth and the Tzoalli Heresy” Huauzontles are a highly nutritious plant from the Chenopodium or … Continue reading Quelite : Huauzontle
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
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
