Tarahumara Herbs

Tarahumara are Mexican Indians that live in the mountainous northern area called "Barrancas del Cobre" or Copper Canyon. According to Entheology, there are only 50,000 Tarahumara Indians today, who inhabit caves and small huts and practice subsistence farming. Tarahumara ritual ceremonies involve the use of herbs and plants that can cause hallucinations. According to Science Direct, these plants include the genus Coryphantha, Echinocereus and Scirpus, among others.

Pincushion Cactus

• To the Tarahumara, Coryphantha compacta, or the pincushion cactus, is called "bakanawa." It has soul, human emotions and is treated like a protective god by the Indians, according to Entheology. They also use the pincushion cactus as a medicine, crushed and then applied to the body to cure numerous diseases. It is also boiled and applied externally for lung problems, reports Entheology.

Peyote

• According to the Journal of Natural Products, the Tarahumara were the first Indians to be known for using peyote (Lophophora williamsii). This cactus has powerful alkaloids, which are able to induce sedation when drunk crushed and mixed with water, and alleviate pain when applied on joints, according to Peyote.org.

Hikuri Orchid

• The orchid Oncidium cebolleta, also called Hikuri, is used as a substitute for Peyote due to its alkaloid content, according to the Journal of Natural Products. The Tarahumara also use the orchid leaves crushed in water as an ointment to treat bones fractures and muscular contusions, reports the Journal of Natural Products.

Bakana

• Bakana (Scirpus atrovirens) is one of the most powerful herbs used by the Tarahumara to relieve pain, cure insanity and protect against mental illness, according to Entheology. The plant's alkaloids induce intoxication and hallucinations.

Dream Herb

• Dream Herb (Calea zacatechichi) is an herb that can promote sleep and induce a state of lucid dreams due to the presence of psychoactive compounds called germacranolides that are also responsible for its sharp bitter taste, according to Entheology. An infusion of roots, leaves and stem of Calea is traditionally used in Mexico against gastrointestinal disorders and high body temperatures.

King's Crown Cactus

• Echinocereus triglochidiatus, or king's crown cactus, causes psychotropic effects in Tarahumara Indians, reports Science Direct. As other cactus used by the Tarahumara, Echinocereus is also ground up and mixed with water. Author Edward Anderson reports in the "The Cactus Family" that the Tarahumara used a thick paste of Echinocereus to make casts to cure broken limbs.