Medicines Aztec

Figure S.l. Mayan priest smoking tobacco, 1000 bc. Ancient temple carvings depict Mayan priests in Central America smoking tobacco through a pipe. Tobacco leaves became widespread in medicine for use on wounds as a means of reducing pain. Later the Aztecs incorporated smoke inhalation into religious rituals.

It is not known how long vanilla has been used as a spice, but it dates back at least 1,000 years. The first known cultivators of vanilla were the Totonac people in the Veracruz region of Mexico, who regarded vanilla as a sacred plant and used it as a deodorant. The use of vanilla was acquired by the Aztecs after their invasion and interaction with the Totonacs. The Aztecs called vanilla tlibcochitl, which translates as black flower, a reference to the dark brown-black color of the dried pods after curing. Aztec royalty used vanilla to sweeten the bitter taste of their cocoa drink xocolatl and for medicinal purposes. The Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez... 

Wasson (1963) suggested that S. divinorum might be the plant the Aztecs knew as pipiltzintzintli ("most noble prince" or "venerable little children") this name has become associated with the mint in recent literature (Emboden 1979 Foster 1984 Schultes 1976). Aguirre Beltran (1973) summarized the data on pipiltzintzintli contained in the Inquisitorial Archives. It was apparently an hallucinogenic plant that had male and female varieties. All plant parts, including the roots and flowers were used medicinally (no mention was made of the seeds), and it was cultivated for such purposes. Aguirre... 

From the time of the Aztecs, vanilla was considered an aphrodisiac. This reputation was much enhanced in 1762 when a German study found that a medication based on vanilla extract cured impotence. It was also once believed that vanilla was a febrifuge, i.e. used to reduce fevers, though it is used rarely for any medicinal purposes other than as a pharmaceutical flavouring. Essential oil of vanilla and vanillin were and are sometimes used in aromatherapy. 

To conclude, it is worth reiterating that the only orchid used as a spice, the vanilla pod, has been recognized for its culinary and medicinal uses since the time of the Aztecs. Vanilla is the world s third most expensive spice, from which is obtained the popular commercial flavouring agent, vanillin. The characteristic aroma of vanilla is obtained only after a time-consuming and labour-intensive curing process. The main aroma compound in vanilla is vanillin over 100 volatile compounds have been detected, including aromatic carbonyls, aromatic... 

When the Conquistadores subdued the Aztecs, early chroniclers recorded that the Indians made religious and medicinal use of peyote, another psychoactive plant named tlitliltzin, and a small lentil-like seed called ololiuqui. The third, alleged to have been used also for purposes of divination, came from a vine known in the Ndhuatl language as coaxihuitl (or "snakeplant ). 

This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of a small part of the Aztec knowledge concerning some sesqui- and diterpenes from Mexican medicinal plants. New anti-inflammatory drugs are being designed based on the mechanism of action of some of these, and other medicines are still to be developed once are able to elucidate their mechanisms. Finally, the current cultural differences produced by the use and abuse of these plants outside of their original cultural context is discussed. 

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is an annual herbaceous plant from the mint family, Labiatae, and it is native to southern Mexico, northern Guatemala, and can be grown in South America and the Southwestern United States (52). This plant was used by the Aztec and other tribes of Central America as an important crop not only for food, but also for medicine and paint. Chia oil is a century-old ingredient that has been rediscovered today as a potential ingredient for cosmetic and food industries (52). Although chia has been cultivated for several centuries, presently it is cultivated only in some states in Mexico. The total area cultivated is less than 450 hectares per year. Trials to adopt this cultivar to other regions of America have been done with positive results (52). Chia seeds and oil are available on the American continent in health food stores. 

The seeds of Ipomoea violacea were used by the Aztecs in religious ceremonies. They were called tlitliltzin . These seeds are used religiously/medicinally by the Zapotecs, Mazatecs, Mixtecs, Chinantecs in Oaxaca and are called Badoh negro. Other species Ipomoea rubro-caerulea praecox, Ipomoea purpurea have tested positive for indole alkaloids.) Ipomoea violacea is commercially available in many horticultural varieties ... 

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