Maya healing power and medicine

1. The Ancient Mayan
Healing and Medicine
Abhishek Verma
Akash Patel
Ashish Singh

2. Survived! How?
Arrival of Cortez in 1519.
The Roman Catholic priests who followed conquistadors
outdid themselves in trying to destroy Mayan culture.
Bishop Diego de Lande burned 100,000 of writings.
Consisting art, architecture, mathematics, astronomy,
history, etc.
But Healing tradition was survived because it passed down
orally from generation to generation.

3. Features of Healing Tradition
Medicine practices among the ancient
Maya was a complex blend of mind,
body, religion, ritual and science.
Health is the result of living according to
the laws of nature and society, and illness
is the result of the transgression of those
laws.
Maya equated sickness with captivity of
one’s soul by supernatural beings,
angered by some perceived misbehavior.
Medicine was only practiced by the
selected one’s who inherited or perceived
extensive education.
These people were called shamans, were
acted as medium between the physical
world and spiritual world and ah-men, the
‘disease thrower’.
SHAMAN

4. Features of Healing Tradition
The ancient Maya perceived health as “balance”, whereas illness and disease
were “imbalance”.
Maya medical texts are devoted to the treatment of symptoms based upon
objective observations of the effects of certain plants on the human system
Herbal remedies were ingested, smoked ,snorted, rubbed on the skin, and
even used in the form of enemas.

5. The Six Principles of
Mayan Healing

6. Introduction
The ancient Mayan civilization, was a sophisticated society
that had made significant discoveries and advance in many
fields.
Much of Mayan writing were lost during Spanish conquests.
But their medical practices and knowledge survived from
generation to generation

7. Life Force
Mayan believes that Life force is
present in everything,
everywhere and are connected.
It mobilizes from living
organism to non-living things.
Like people, houses, fire,
mountains, bones etc
Healer tries to direct & balance
life energy from other sources

8. Body & Soul
Derived from “Life Force”
that all things are
connected.
There is no separation b/w
the spiritual and physical
realms.
Different ends of a same
continuum

9. Natural Cycles and Plants
Mayan believes nature has
remedies and treatment for
diseases.
Plant chooses healers and a
special relationship develops
which allows the healer to
utilize the plants.

10. Healing is a comprehensive
approach
All components of healing,
the patient, the healer, their
spirits, the plants, prayer, are
equal.
It requires the participation
and cooperation of all
component to get patience
healthy quickly

11. Status of the Blood
Pulses are used to determine
imbalance and whether an
illness is physical or
spiritual.
This is turn determine the
course of treatment.
For this bloodletting which
was a medical practice as
well as a ritual one.

12. The Hot & Cold
The hot and cold concept
decides variety of ailment.
Hot in Mayan culture
includes fevers, indigestion,
diarrhea and vomiting.
Cold in Mayan culture
includes cramps,
constipation, paralysis and
asthma attacks.

13. Healing Medicines & Practices
Chili-peppers ( Capsicum
annuum )
Remedies
Chili peppers can be used to
rid the body of intestinal
worms and parasites.
They are also useful in many
cold and flu remedies and are
believed to ward off evil
spirits.

14. Healing Medicines & Practices
Psilocybin Mushrooms (Psilocybe
cubensis)
Usage
The Mayans were also known
to use mind altering religious
substances such as psilocybin
mushrooms
Psilocybin mushrooms were
distributed and used sparingly
by trained shamans for ritual
purposes in ancient times.

15. Healing Medicines & Practices
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Usage
High quantities to induces
visions and mind altering
experiences.
Good amount of snuff tubes
also been found.

16. Healing Medicines & Practices
Morning Glory
( Convolvulaceae)
Usage
can produce visions and
mind-altering experiences.

17. Healing Medicines & Practices
Jade:
The name Jade is derived from the Spanish
"Piedra de Ijada", loin-stone.
Usage
Art and architecture.
ornaments and jewelry.
Recognized by Mayans for
healing kidney ailments.
Dental filling and decorations.
Iron pyrite is also used for
dental filling.

18. Healing Medicines & Practices
SAUNA(Sweat bath or
'temezcal)
Usage
New mothers who
conceived a child recently.
Cleansing technique used by
Mayan rulers.
Purification method of
physical and spiritual body
of sufferer.

19. Healing Medicines & Practices
Enema
Procedure of introducing liquids into the rectum and colon via
the anus
Usage
Enemas can be carried out as treatment for medical conditions,
such as constipation.
To force rapid absorption of substance into blood stream.

20. Other Healing Practices
The Maya sutured wounds with human hair.
Reduced fractures.
Archeologists found bones which were broken,
realigned and healed.

21. THANK YOU!