Maya Medicinal Fruit Trees: Q’eqchi’ Homegarden Remedies

Amanda M Thiel; Marsha B Quinlan

doi:10.1007/s12231-020-09506-z

Five cultivated fruit trees are among the most popular medical plant species that Q’eqchi’ Maya horticultural villagers of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, grow in their dooryards. Participant–observation with informal interviews and 31 semi-structured interviews amidst walking homegarden tours inform findings. Beyond their apparent nutritional, ornamental, and shade values, Q’eqchi’ use bitter orange, Citrus x aurantium, for headaches, gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, cough, and fever. Prevalent home garden tree Citrus x latifolia treats fever, throat, cough, and heart problems; Mangifera indica treats fever and kidney pain; Persea americana helps gastrointestinal and skin problems, body pain, evil eye, and has abortive properties; and Psidium guajava remedies gastrointestinal problems, amoebas, and bites. In this paper, we review the regional ethnomedical use and pharmacology of these species. Outside pharmacological research supports Q’eqchi’ villagers’ cultural reasons for these phytotherapies. Guatemala is a hotspot of biological and cultural diversity; ecological zones range from coastal, to highland, to lowland tropical, and over 20 Maya—among other—ethnic groups live throughout the small country (McKillop 2004). Maya homegardens have a long history of use and provide biocultural resources with overlapping uses: food and medicine are two common functions (Kumar and Nair 2006; Mariaca Mendez 2012). Home remedies—often homegarden medicinal plants—are the first choice for health care, especially in rural, impoverished areas (Quinlan 2004; Vandebroek 2013; Weller et al. 1997). Guatemalans regularly use medicinal plants in home health care, as they are readily available, have longstanding traditions of use, and are virtually free (Adams and Hawkins 2007; Cosminsky 2016). Many Guatemalan medicinals show pharmacological efficacy (Caceres 1996; Michel et al. 2007).

Maya Medicinal Fruit Trees: Q’eqchi’ Homegarden Remedies

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