UNESCO TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN PRACTICE Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean 

Traditional medicine in Latin America and the Caribbean is a mosaic of diverse practices

associated with the many indigenous groups living in the region, as well as the beliefs and

practices of millions of migrants from all parts of

the world. The landscape of traditional medicine in

the region is characterized by relatively isol

ated systems, which exist alongside other mixed

medical traditions that have been strongly influenced by European colonial medicine.

Traditional medical practices in Latin American and the Caribbean are based on notions that

establish a close link between human health and the health of the ecosystem, both physical and

spiritual. Health thus depends on the continuous availability, both in quantitative and qualitative

terms, of specific resources from the ecosystem such as plants, animals and animal products,

ritual objects, as well as seasonal odours, sounds or landscapes. In the Andean region, for

example, traditional healers believe that nature

and the human body consist of a cycle of opposing

moods (hot/cold and wet/dry), whose succession creates a pendulum rhythm. Human and

environmental health are both defined as the continui

ty of this cycle in relation to the body, the

mind, the nine levels of the soul and the earth, conceived as Mother.

Indigenous healers enjoy a powerful position within their local communities; their knowledge,

stemming from a centuries-old observation of nature, is often kept secret and either transmitted

orally to selected individuals or initiates, or to those believed to have been designated by a

supernatural being. The healers combine an extensive

pharmacopeia with ritual practices to jointly

restore bodily and spiritual balance, which has

been disturbed by harmful general processes.

Some plants, such as the coca or the tobacco leaf, are also used ritually. The most common

traditional medical specializations in the region are bonesetting (to treat dislocations, fractures and

fissures), obstetrics (prenatal, childbirth and postnatal care), herbal healing, massage (especially a

type of friction massage to warm the body) and spiritual healing.

Modern medicine is regarded as the standard of care in Latin American and Caribbean countries,

but health systems coverage varies greatly from

country to country. With the expansion of public

health care networks, most local people are increasingly likely to use some of the modern

treatments while remaining faithful to their own traditional medicine. However, owing to various

factors such as geographical and social distance, poverty, language barriers and cultural

differences, a large majority of the indigenous population of the region – as is unfortunately the

case in many other regions of the world – is deprived of access to modern health care.