Listen to the Healers: How the Knowledge of Curanderos can Change Medicine
Document Type
Panel Presentation
Keywords
Latin America, indigenous wisdom, medicine
Biography
As a student in Engineering, I have become increasingly interested in how the field of science can be improved. After reading books such as Eileen Pollack's The Only Woman in The Room: Why Science is Still a Boys' Club and Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, I believe one solution is the inclusion of more people and perspectives traditionally underrepresented in science. My presentation blends my love of Spanish and my passion to improve science by exploring how medicine can benefit from the knowledge of traditional healers of Latin America.
Major
Spanish
Advisor for this project
Dr. Shannon Butler
Abstract
Curanderos, traditional healers of Latin America, often blend indigenous knowledge with Catholic faith in their roles as physical, mental, and spiritual healers. As their title derives from the Spanish “to heal” (curar), curanderos employ several means of healing, such as counseling, massage, and herbal remedies. As economic and environmental pressures increase, curanderos continue to see a decline in both the patients and plants they require to continue their work. Meanwhile, proponents of modern western medicine push to delegitimize unstandardized medicinal practices such as those of the curanderos. However, a thorough review of scientific articles, ecological studies, and interviews with indigenous people reveals— as this paper aims to— that the knowledge and skill set of curanderos is far greater and more useful today than many predicted. Specifically, curanderos hold three traits which could be of great value to the world: deep pharmacological knowledge, ecological literacy, and connections with people and communities who do not trust or cannot access modern western healthcare. The long-overdue inclusion of curanderos and other indigenous healers into the field of medicine would have lasting benefits in cultural relations, scientific development, and global healthcare.
Listen to the Healers: How the Knowledge of Curanderos can Change Medicine
Curanderos, traditional healers of Latin America, often blend indigenous knowledge with Catholic faith in their roles as physical, mental, and spiritual healers. As their title derives from the Spanish “to heal” (curar), curanderos employ several means of healing, such as counseling, massage, and herbal remedies. As economic and environmental pressures increase, curanderos continue to see a decline in both the patients and plants they require to continue their work. Meanwhile, proponents of modern western medicine push to delegitimize unstandardized medicinal practices such as those of the curanderos. However, a thorough review of scientific articles, ecological studies, and interviews with indigenous people reveals— as this paper aims to— that the knowledge and skill set of curanderos is far greater and more useful today than many predicted. Specifically, curanderos hold three traits which could be of great value to the world: deep pharmacological knowledge, ecological literacy, and connections with people and communities who do not trust or cannot access modern western healthcare. The long-overdue inclusion of curanderos and other indigenous healers into the field of medicine would have lasting benefits in cultural relations, scientific development, and global healthcare.
