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What is a Curandera?

In some form they have been at our sides always. They have been caretakers and healers who have studied in the vast realms of Nature and stepped in as part of a long, unbroken human tradition. They have existed throughout all of human time and in every culture on earth.

In Mayan cultures, and throughout Latin America curanderas are part of a lineage that believes body, mind and spirit are one and that any or all can fall ill. All use natural methods. Most will pick a specialty and work mainly in that arena. Some specialize in herbs, others massage, others midwifery.  All share a belief that healing involves restoring spiritual balance within, and finding balance with nature and the outer world in which one lives.

If we in the U.S. hear about this long tradition at all, we are most likely to be told that this old shamanic tradition is witchcraft or quackery.  At best, it is considered quaint, local and pretty darn ineffectual.  As North Americans we tend to believe very much in what we can see, feel, touch or prove by the scientific method. So the idea of a curandera as an effective and important natural healer for most of us is quite a stretch.  And OMG, our medical establishment, you can imagine what they think.  It's a train wreck.

I believe much of the responsibility lies in the education of our medical professionals, which insists on perpetuating a conflict between natural healing and modern medicine.  I'll grant there are differences, but they both have validity and it is unproductive to view them as mutually exclusive. But try telling that to your doctor. No, don't. 

Instead, consider these facts:

• The World Health Organization promotes the use of plants around the world as the number one choice for healing.
• Medicinal plants were found in the Middle East from 60,000 years ago. Of the eight found, seven are still in use today.
• The primary means of health care for more than 80 percent of the world's population is herbal medicine. 
• Meanwhile 300,000 people die each year from over-the-counter and prescription medications that are used properly.  I bring this up not to discredit western medicine, which has saved my life not once but three times. I bring it up because we tend to have a blind spot and think western medicine is the only, best, or most used form of healing. We even call natural medicine “alternative” medicine.

Modern Western Medicine versus Natural Healing

Modern western medicine has an undeniably strong track record in sophisticated surgeries, cosmetic surgeries, diagnoses and treatments for cancer and diseases requiring antibiotics. 

However if you ask a curandera, or better someone who has been cured by one whether their medicine is also powerful, you will also hear amazing stories of miracle cures, of life-saving interventions, of plants with powerful antibiotic qualities, of plants that reduce fever, counteract venom, close bleeding wounds, heal virulent skin problems, treat depression, calm anxiety, and are successful with many of the same illnesses and conditions treated by western medicine.

Other than treatment, the other difference of note is interpretation of the root cause of the disturbance.  Sometimes western doctors will admit they don't know the origin but can cure the symptom. A curandera may attribute the origin to a shock, fright, bad air or evil eye.
Perhaps curanderas would benefit from more openness to western medicine as generally things run in both directions. 

On our end, I am absolutely convinced that we in the U.S. would benefit greatly from being more open not only to the old ways of healing so popular around the world, but to our own homegrown healers --  curanderos in our midst.

“If you trust Google more than your doctor then maybe it's time to switch doctors.”
Jadelr and Cristina Cordova, Chasing Windmills