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Curanderismo, Mexican Folk Healing
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4:02
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4:56
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Also, there's some evidence that they did some experimental work in terms of the experimented. This is not with the Aztec. This is in Colombia. But a friend of mine is a phytochemist, somebody studies the chemistry of plants. Spent a long season with a curandero in Colombia up a river called the Putumayo Region. And he found that this curandero kept monkeys around, that he seemed to be experimenting with the monkeys, giving drugs to the monkeys to see what effects they would do, which is very advanced because monkeys are the best animal model of humans that we have and we use at the final stage in testing drugs. Before humans, we use monkeys. And so that's very sophisticated. We have some indications that the Aztecs also did some research and investigations in plants in an experimental, empirical way, not just a magical approach.
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Further explanation on experiments conducted with medicinal plants by indigenous peoples with Putumayo regions of Colombia and Mexica people in the past. |
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Curanderismo, Mexican Folk Healing
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4:57
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5:19
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As a chemist, Dr. Ortiz focuses on the chemical composition of Aztec herbs, but he's also studied Aztec beliefs about the causes of illnesses. Dr. Ortiz says that the Aztecs knew what results an herb would produce. And because the Aztecs believed that fever was caused by an excess of hot phlegm, they would give the patient an herb which was a diuretic.
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Provides context for the breadth of Ortiz's knowledge regarlding plant medicine and spiritual knowledge systems. |