Spiritual Aspects of Medicinal Plants and Healing
A Digital Exhibit by Francisco G. Gómez
Historically plants, trees and food have been considered more than just medicine and sustenance for the body, be it human or that of other animals. In many cultures spirituality plays a great role in the cultivation of farming and growing herbs. This spirituality is based in reverence and ancestral wisdom, such as that practiced by the descendants of the Yoruba people of Nigeria who arrived in the Caribbean during the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Huichol people of Mexico.
In the spiritual folklore and mythology of Cuba, as in other nature based cultures like that of the Lucumí, permission is asked of sacred plants and trees before they are cut or felled.
The great Cuban singer and band leader of the 1940s,50s and 60s, Beny Moré, sang a beautiful song written by the outstanding pianist and composer Lino Frías, dedicated to the Siguaraya (trichilia Havanensis,) a plant considered medicinal and magical by the Lucumí. Lino made this evident when he wrote Mata Siguaraya; he says:
En mi Cuba nace una mata, que sin permiso no se
puede tumba eh. No se puede tumba eh, porque son
Orisa. Esa mata nace en el monte, esa mata tiene
poder. Esa mata es Siguaraya!
In my Cuba grows a plant, without permission you may
not cut it down. You may not cut it down because it is an Oricha.
That plant grows in the forest, that plant has powers, that plant is Siguaraya!
Listen to the Song "Mata Siguaraya"
Angela Lugo
Angela Lugo is an herbalist and curandera that practices the traditional healing methods and spiritual rituals from the island of Puerto Rico. In the clip below she briefly explains the spiritual and ancestral knowledge her grandmother passed on to her. Just another way to understand spiritual and ritual traditions in the Caribbean.
To have a better understanding of what she means by spirit and energy click on the link below to see her entire interview and transcript:
Dr. T’Karima Tcitli
Dr. T’Karima Tcitli is a specialist in Midwifery, as well as, a person of Huichol ancestry. Scroll down to the clip below where she speaks about the pilgrimage she made to the land of the Peyote plant to partake in the rituals that venerate, honor and respect the medicine left by the Hichol ancestors.
To learn more about the good doctor’s trajectory to find healing in her life click on the link below to see her entire interview and transcript:
Explore More
Spiritual aspects of medicinal plants and healing is a common theme that runs throughout our Ancestral Herbal Narratives Oral History Collection. View more clips and explore the full collection for more on this topic.
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