The Curanderismo: The Role Of Coca In Andean Culture

In Spanish American cultures, like Brazil, there are many beliefs when it comes to medicine. The people did not believe in going to the hospital nor any modern doctor. They believed in. The healers or “curanderiros” and the blessers or “benzedeiras” are the ones’ that heal and treat different things. They also treat problems like having trouble conceiving a child, unemployment issues and also poverty troubles. They used several herbal remedies including herbs, coco leaves, and many different treatments. The Curanderismo is widely practiced in the Spanish culture by a lot of women. “The role of coca in Andean society is controversial due to the leaf’s use as a narcotic since the early twentieth century. However, coca use in both diagnosis and
healing is an ancestral practice. It is also used in divining, an activity not divorced in the Andean mind from medicine; diagnosis often focuses on the spiritual condition of the patient. Moreover, coca is an important social component that reinforces community relationships and identity. North American and European attempts to suppress coca have contributed to a widespread distrust of Western medicine, giving rise to numerous modern myths no doubt also inspired by rumors of rogue organ transplants and the practice of herbal and gene piracy”. (Allen 8) The role of the coco leaf has played a big part in the Andean practice for many years now. The Curanderismo is believed to have the power to heal many and continues to heal until their death bed.