La Hierberia, Part 5

And so we conclude, with shrubs and trees…

Cipres (cypress): A tree with firm, opposed leaves; the male cones in terminal recemes, while the female part develops into to a fruit (cone) in the form of a nut--grey, woody, and with scales.  There are twenty species, found in the temperate and cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere.  The majority of the species are found in the Americas.  Remedies: As an astringent, deodorant, and diuretic, prepare a decoction with 10 grams of pieces of cypres wood in 1 liter of water.  This may be used hot or cold as a tea or external wash.

Acacia: The name given to several trees of the genus Acacia, Caragana, Mimosa, and Robina.  The rosewood stands of the Indies, Brazil, or Honduras are the original source of the diverse mimosa/acacia trees of Mexico and Aztlán.  The wood, in colors that range from reddish-brown to rose-purple, has grain of various tones and is used in cabinetmaking.  Remedies: For cough, bronchitis, and sore throats suck on bits of the resinous sap, and if only powdered sap is available mix a teaspoon full in a cup of any herbal tea.

Añil (Mexican indigo): A perennial shrub of the family of legumes, with a straight stalk, compound leaves, reddish flowers in spikes or clusters, and fruit in bow-shaped pods, with hard lustrous seeds, brownish, green or sometimes grey.  The Mexican variety of añil has been used as a dye since before the conquest of Mexico.  The Mexica and the Mayans called it by various names: haceoitli, huiquilitl, xiuquilitl, and palceoitli.  Remedies: For dandruff and illnesses of the hair, after having bathed the affected area and scrubbed the sick part with “black soap,” rub with a mixture of fresh mashed indigo leaves and salt.  For wounds and external ulcers, apply the same mixture on the affected part, in the form of plasters.

Franchipán (frangipani, jasmín de las Antillas): The plant is a bush or small tree of the family Apocinacias, with fragrant pink, white, and purple flowers and an orange-yellow center.  It grows all the way from Mexico to Columbia and is found in parks and gardens as an ornamental plant.  It prefers warm climates.  Remedies: As a laxative, drink any herbal tea combined with a teaspoon of gum or resin extracted from the wood of the bush; do not sweeten the beverage, and drink it lukewarm.  For chest infections, mildly heat and apply the white milky substance that is produced by breaking off the leaves to the chest, and go to bed.  (Make sure to do an allergy test first on a small patch of skin.)  Cover up well, to induce a little sweating.

Cabeza de Angel: A Mexican bush 1 to 5 meters long, with oblong, foliated leaves 2.5 to 5 centimeters long, and showy purple/red flowers with a “hairy” appearance.  This plant--above all the root--is the source of the glycoside calliandreine which the Indians of Mexico use to impede the fermentation of pulque when it is used to make the drink tepache.  Remedies: For bronchial infections and fever, drink an infusion of three grams of the root in half a liter of boiling water with a teaspoon of honey added as it cools.