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Mayan Plants Used to Treat Skin Problems

The Mayan civilization was, at its height, one of the most complex and well developed of all ancient cultures and had a herbal pharmacopoeia that utilized many of the local plants. Mayan culture continues to flourish today and many of these same plant substances are used by the modern day Maya, as well as the peoples of neighboring areas, to treat a wide variety of health disorders, including skin problems.

  1. Bursera Simaruba

    • Bursera simaruba, also known as gumbo limbo, is used by the Yucatec Maya for skin complaints, according to the book "Maya medicine: traditional healing in Yucatan" by Marianna Appel Kunow. The tree is locally called the "tourist tree" because it has peeling bark that reminds the locals of the peeling sunburned skin of many of the visitors to the tropical land of the Maya from northern climates. In a study published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" in May 2004, researchers in Venzuala found that an extract of Bursera simaruba applied topically had anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of a pharmaceutical ant-inflammatory drug. According to an article published by CNN on November 5, 1998, Bursera simaruba is being studied by NASA scientists as a possible cure to the disease called Chagas, which is caused by a parasite that infects cuts and open sores on human skin. Bursera simaruba is available in bulk from several online retailers that specialize in rain forest and Latin American herbs.

    Metopium Brownei

    • Metopium brownei is also called Chechem and Black Poisonwood--due to the fact that it causes dermatitis on contact with human skin. According to Kunow, Metopium brownei is used by the Maya to remove warts. Metopium brownei contains a substance called urushiol that is also found in poison oak and poison ivy and is responsible for the reaction. A study published in the "Journal of Chemical Ecology" in January 1999 found that an extract of Metopium brownei inhibited the growth of various fungi. However, this plant should not be used on the skin by anyone who does not have experience in using known skin irritants for medicinal uses.

    Other Herbs

    • Other plants used by the Maya for skin conditions, according to Kunow, include a local species of Sage-Salvia coccinea, several citrus fruits and the sap or resin of the papaya tree. She also mentions a remedy for skin ailments involving crushed corn kernels, fish skin and pebbles that are all ground up together.

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