The Ancient Mayan Healing and Medicine

Abhishek Verma B10101Akash Patel B10103Ashish Singh B10007

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 Tradition

Medicine 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 Tradition

The 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 Plants

Mayan 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

Mayan territory incorporated three different ecosystems, the Guatemalan highlands, the Central area of Petén and the limestone lowlands of Yucatan.

Ah-men - the doctors or physicians in their society

ah-men, literally meaning “he or she who knows” were the only ones equipped with the “curative properties of the rain forest and the spiritual tools needed to use it.”

Ah-men had to constantly keep track of nature because nature and religion were connected in their eyes. Studying astronomy was one of the ways that they did this.

Healing Medicines & Practices

Mayan territory incorporated three different ecosystems, the Guatemalan highlands, the Central area of Petén and the limestone lowlands of Yucatan.

Ah-men - the doctors or physicians in their society

ah-men, literally meaning “he or she who knows” were the only ones equipped with the “curative properties of the rain forest and the spiritual tools needed to use it.”

Ah-men had to constantly keep track of nature because nature and religion were connected in their eyes. Studying astronomy was one of the ways that they did this.

There were then eighteen months in a year or Tun, and each year ended with five unlucky days called 5 .

This was all in order to predict events and give the best advice on things such as when crops should be planted and harvested and when religious ceremonies should take place.

Satsun- sas meaning “light” or 6 “mirror” and tun meaning “stone”)

Ritualistic artifacts such as awls, needles, perforators and pins were, as well as censers, candeleros, and figurines that represent Mayan ideology or show indications of medical practices performed in a ceremonial way.

Hot and cold healing approach .

Differentiation of plants

Red plants - treat blood disorders, rashes and burns because they too are red. Blue plants

Blue plants were used to make sedatives in order to treat conditions of the nervous system.

Yellow plants were used for infections and ailments of the liver and spleen, because yellow is the color of bile and pus.

White plants were seen as a signal for death, so they were avoided because they were oftentimes poisonous.

Chili-peppers ( Capsicum annuum )

Remedies

Chili peppers can be used to rid the body of intestinal worms and parasites.

They are also useful in many cold and flu remedies and are believed to ward off evil spirits.

Healing Medicines & Practices

Psilocybin 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 & Practices

Jade:

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 & Practices

SAUNA(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.

Improvement in facial features.

Reduced fractures.

Archeologists found bones which were broken, realigned and healed.

THANK YOU!