There is a great quantity of medical recipes to be found throughout the Mayan colonial literature. In the Books of Chilam Balam for example the books of Chan Cah, Ixil, Kaua, Nah, and Tekax have numerous pages devoted to medical recipes. There are also books such as "El Libro de Judio" which are dedicated to medical recipes. These medical recipes seem to be a mixture of native herbal medicine knowledge and European herbal medicine.
Two of these recipes are given here. The first one with remedies for snake bites is a good example of the usual medical recipe which is to be found throughout this material. The second one which gives the sites for blood-letting is unusual in that it is the only one which is about blood-letting. However even today the practice of puncturing specific veins with a sharp instrument such as a sliver of glass in order to alleviate a given ache or pain is still carried on.
| SNAKE BITES |
U CHIBAL CANOOB |
The bite of a rattle snake or an asp or whatever snake. |
U chibal ahau can ua kokob can yetel uabax canile. |
If a person is bitten by a rattle snake or an asp or whatever kind of snake. The root of snake-squash as well as the root of meadow-gourd as well as the leaf of garlic with one crystal of salt and lemon juice are to be found. Then it is to be given to be drunk. The bite-hole is to be cauterized with it. |
He tu chibaal uinic tumen ahau can ua kokob can yetel uabax canile caxantabac u ui kum can bay u ui dzol chakanile bay u le ajoe yetel hunppel u co ajo, hunppel u co tab, yetel u kab limones. Ca dzabac yuke, chuhbil u hol yetel. |
This is medicine also. Borage is to be found. It is to be ground, then it is to be mixed. Then it is to be warmed. Then it is to be given to him. It will be stopped because of it. |
Lay dzac xane. Caxbil borraja. Hucħbil, ca xakbezabac. Ca kinalcinzabac. Ca dzabac ti. Bin hauac tumen. |
If he is vomiting blood he is to be given a half cup of lard to drink or cooking oil is to be given to drink. There is a herb in the land where medicine rots or in the land of the large trees in the forest. Find the large trees, find the herbs which will grow also out of the earth. Three leaves or four leaves are to be taken. They are to be taken with the root. It is to be ground and then given to be drunk. Then it is to be anointed cold on the bite-hole. Then you will give it as a medicine for an asp or whatever snake. |
Ua tan u xeic kike dzabac medio manteca yuke ua ix aceite de comer dzabac yuke. Yan xiu tu luumil licil u dzucul u dzacal ua ix u luumil nucuch cheob ti kax. Caxbalac nucuch cheiloob, caxbac xiuiloob bin hokoc xan tu luumile. Cħabac ox ual ua can ual u le. Cħabac yetel u motz. Hucħbil tun ca dzabac yuke. Ca ix nabzabac tu hol u chibal ziz. Ca bin a dzaic ca ix kokob caix balac canil u dzacal. |
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| THE PUNCTURING OF A VEIN |
U TOK U BEL NOHOL |
Here is the account of where the veins are to be seen by the blood-letter and where in particular they have to be punctured on a person. |
Lay u tzolaan u bel nohol licil yilabal tumen ah tok yahoob lae yetel ua tub citan yan unah tokol ti uinice. |
1; Here is the vein which is in the middle of the head and behind the skull of a person. This is where it is punctured to stop a headache or a migraine headache of a person whoever it has attacked. |
1; He u bel nohol yan tu chumuc u hol yetel tu pach u lec uinice. Lay lic u tokol tu haual kuxub hol ua kinam pol ti uinic ua mac tzayal ti. |
2; Here is the vein in the corner of the eye of a person. This is where it is punctured to brighten a person's sight. This is when his sight is not good. |
2; He u bel nohol yan tu tuk u uich uinice. Lay licil u tokol tu zaziltal u pacat uinic. Lay ma utz u pacate. |
3; Here is the vein on the lip of a person and on the tongue of a person. This is where it is punctured to stop the bleeding and foam at the mouth of a person which comes from the lungs of a person. |
3; He u bel nohol yan tu boxel u chi uinic yetel yan tu yak uinice. Lay lic u tokol tu haual pudzub chi tub ti uinic lae talel zac ol mac. |
4; Here is the vein at the wrist of a person. This comes from the heart and the lungs and the head and the skin everywhere on a person also. This is to be punctured to stop the pains in the heart and the lungs and the head and the skin everywhere on a person also and the pain in the bones everywhere in a person and the pain of the gums. |
4; He u bel nohol yan tu uadz u kab uinice. Lay likul tu puczikal yetel tu zac ol uinic yetel tu pol yetel tu cucutil uinic tulacal xan. Lay lic u tokol tu haual u kuxucil tu puczikal yetel tu zac ol yetel tu pol yetel tu ca tzucil tu cucutil uinic tulacal xane yetel u kuxlacil u bacel uinic tulacal yetel u kuxucil tu ninchil. |
5; Here is the vein under the neck of a person. This is where it is punctured to stop the pain of the eye of a person because of an old wound. |
5; He u bel nohol yan yalan u cal uinice. Lay licil u tokol tu haual u chibal u uich uinic tumen uchben yahoob. |
6; Here is the vein which is in the fork of the little finger of a person and in the middle of the index finger. This is where it is punctured to stop the eye ache or the headache or the migraine headache also. |
6; He u bel nohol yan tu yam u na u kab uinic yetel yan tu chumuc u tucħube. Lay licil u tokol tu haual chibal ich ua chibal pol ua kuxub pol xan. |
7; Here is the vein which is in the fork of the little finger. This is where it is punctured to stop the pain of a pained dog's child (spleen) in the stomach of a person. The vein is punctured also so that the intestinal pains in the stomach of a person are calmed. |
7; He u bel nohol yan tu yam u thupil u kab uinice. Lay licil tu tokol tu haual u yail u kinam yal pek tu nak uinic. U bel nohol cu tokol xan utial hunbal tippte tu nak uinice. |
8; Here is the vein which is in the middle of the head of a person and also in back of the skull. This is where it is punctured to stop reoccurring migraine headaches of a person. |
8; He u bel nohol yan chumuc u pol uinic yetel tun tu pach cae. Lay licil u tokol tu haual uazut chibal u pol uinice. |
