Page talk:Popular medicine, customs and superstitions of the Rio Grande, John G. Bourke, 1894.pdf/4

Tracking down the three species used in traditional cancer treatment could be interesting. According to, the samples sent to the museum were:


 * Smilax sp. = "Colcomicati." Folkloric use of Smilax glabra  and Smilax officinalis  in cancer has been reported.
 * Armadillo shell. Excluded for obvious reasons.
 * Maijuau (struck through) Marijuan. Excluded because it is mentioned elsewhere by name.
 * Clepa.
 * Oreja de Raton . Mentioned elsewhere by name.
 * Selaginella Lepidophylla = Flor de Pena. Mentioned elsewhere by name.
 * Amarantaceae = Verbena.
 * Monarda Sp. = Pelco. or Pelio.

Now, there's a right way to figure out what "Yerba Gonzalez" and "Yerba Cancer" might be, by finding a full version of. But the third one Bourke forgot... that may take some doing. Though in another publication Bourke gives a third plant with the other two as "Guayuli" (but that's not for cancer!) Wnt (talk) 04:49, 8 July 2012 (UTC)

Hmmm... except he donated more samples than these - including Guayuli. The full results (I think) are available by. Wnt (talk) 05:05, 8 July 2012 (UTC)