Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Reproductive Ethnomedicine

Abstract

Traditional healing and herbalism practices can be very particular to the individual practitioner, and people’s knowledge is always being enhanced by experience and exposure to others’ knowledge. Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya medicine is dynamic and continues to advance on the individual level as remedies, preparations, and treatments are refined, or newly discovered. Maya traditional medicine at the medical system level continues to make advancements as well, and research efforts such as this study make a contribution in support of this continued advancement. Plant-based remedies and other traditional treatments are supplying primary healthcare for much of the Maya world, much as they always have. It is only that with each successive generation there are far fewer practitioners and keepers of this important knowledge. Though in-depth knowledge of traditional plant-based treatments still remains in the Belizean Q’eqchi’ community, today this knowledge is mostly held by Q’eqchi’ elders, with very few young Maya apprenticing. The detailed documentation of such knowledge can be utilized in educational efforts to train Q’eqchi’ youth in traditional Maya medicine. The results of this study function as a reference to those practicing traditional medicine, those who wish to learn traditional Q’eqchi’ medicine, and biomedical practitioners who wish to take an integrative approach or provide culturally competent care to their indigenous patients. Efforts to integrate traditional indigenous medicine and biomedicine in Belize and regionally can benefit as well from thorough ethnomedical documentation and associated bioactivity verification.

Conclusions

There is great depth to the traditional knowledge remaining in the Q’eqchi’ communities of Belize, as evidenced by the detailed ethnomedical information presented in this chapter. Further studies could expand on ethnomedical practices, beliefs, and treatments related to men’s reproductive health as well as infant and child health. Some of the medicinal plants mentioned in this study have not yet been collected and identified to species, and there are likely additional species that the Q’eqchi’ use in reproductive ethnomedicine that were not mentioned during the research for this study.

Traditional healing and herbalism practices can be very particular to the individual practitioner, and people’s knowledge is always being enhanced by experience and exposure to others’ knowledge. Traditional Q’eqchi’ medicine is dynamic and continues to advance on the individual level as remedies, preparations, and treatments are refined, or newly discovered. Maya traditional medicine at the medical system level is continuing to make advancements as well, and research efforts such as this study make a contribution in support of this continued advancement. Plant-based remedies and other traditional treatments are supplying primary healthcare for much of the Maya world, much as they always have. It is only that with each successive generation there are far fewer practitioners and keepers of this important knowledge.

Though in-depth knowledge of traditional plant-based treatments still remains in the Belizean Q’eqchi’ community, today this knowledge is mostly held by Q’eqchi’ elders, with very few young Maya apprenticing. The detailed documentation of such knowledge can be utilized in educational efforts to train Q’eqchi’ youth in traditional Maya medicine. The results of this study function as a reference to those practicing traditional medicine, those who wish to learn traditional Q’eqchi’ medicine, and biomedical practitioners who wish to take an integrative approach or provide culturally competent care to their indigenous patients. Efforts to integrate traditional indigenous medicine and biomedicine in Belize and regionally can benefit as well from thorough ethnomedical documentation and associated bioactivity verification.