Abstract
The use of herbal remedies for the treatment of reproductive health problems and the management of reproduction is still nearly universal in many indigenous communities throughout modern Mexico. This paper describes the medicinal plants and related substances used for childbirth, fertility regulation, and the treatment of reproductive disorders in a bilingual Chinantec-Spanish speaking township in highland Oaxaca. The discussion focuses on how the group’s ideas about reproduction and reproductive physiology influence their selection of these plant species.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Anzures y Bolaños, M. 1983. La Medicina Tradicional en México: Proceso Historico, Sincretismos, y Conflictos. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, México.
Browner, C. H. 1985a. Criteria for selecting herbal remedies. Ethnology 24: 13–32.
-. 1985b. The politics of reproduction in a Mexican village. Signs. J. Women Cult. Soc. In press.
Croom, E. M., Jr. 1983. Documenting and evaluating herbal remedies. Econ. Bot. 37: 13–27.
Finerman, R. D. 1982. Pregnancy and childbirth in Saraguro: implications for health care delivery in southern Ecuador. Med. Anthropol. 7: 269–278.
Finkler, K. 1985. Spiritualist Healers in Mexico: Successes and Failures of Alternative Therapeutics. Bergin and Garvey, New York.
MacFoy, C. A., and A. M. Sama. 1983. Medicinal plants in Puhehun district of Sierra Leone. J. Ethnopharmacol. 8: 215–223.
Martin, G. J. n.d. Sierra Juárez Ethnobiological Project. Studies in progress.
Rubel, A. J. 1983. Some unexpected health consequences of political relations in Mexico. Paper at 82nd Annual Meeting, Amer. Anthropol. Assoc., Chicago, IL.
—, K. Weller-Fahey, and M. Trosdal. 1975. Conception, gestation, and delivery according to someMananabang of Cebu. Philipp. Quart. Cult. and Soc. 3: 131–145.
Ryesky, D. 1976. Conceptos Tradicionales de la Medicina en un Pueblo Mexicano. Un Analísis Antropológico. Sepsetenas 309, México.
Sargent, C. F. 1982. The Cultural Context of Therapeutic Choice. Reidel, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Schultes, R. E. 1941. The meaning and usage of the Mexican place-name “Chinantla.” Bot. Mus. Leafl., Harvard Univ. 9: 101–116.
Vivó Escoto, J. A. 1964. Weather and climate of Mexico and Central America.In R. West, vol. ed, Natural Environment and Early Cultures, Vol. 1, p. 187–215. Handbook of Middle American Indians, R. Wauchope, gen. ed. Univ. Texas Press, Austin, TX.
Wagner, P. L. 1964. Natural vegetation of Middle America.In R. C. West, vol. ed, Natural Environment and Early Cultures, Vol. 1, p. 216–264. Handbook of Middle American Indians, R. Wauchope, gen. ed. Univ. Texas Press, Austin, TX.
West, R. C. 1964. The natural regions of Middle America.In R. West, vol. ed, Natural Environment and Early Cultures, Vol. 1, p. 363–383. Handbook of Middle American Indians, R. Wauchope, gen. ed. Univ. Texas Press, Austin, TX.
Yu, E., and W. T. Liu. 1980. Fertility and Kinship in the Philippines. Univ. Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame and London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
A pseudonym is used at the request of the residents of the community.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Browner, C.H. Plants used for reproductive health in Oaxaca, Mexico. Econ Bot 39, 482–504 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858757
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858757