Frontmatter -- Contents -- Figures -- Tables -- Plates -- Preface -- Contributors -- Chapter I. Introduction -- Chapter 2. The Diarrheas -- Terminology -- Watery Diarrhea -- Mucoid Diarrhea -- Bloody Diarrhea -- Droplet Diarrhea -- Lienteric Diarrhea -- Vomiting and Diarrhea -- Vomiting -- Other Conditions Affiliated with the Diarrheas -- Notes -- Chapter 3. The Abdominal Pains -- Terminology -- Abdominal Pain -- Epigastric Pain -- 'Mother of Man' -- Abdominal Distension -- Intestinal Obstruction -- Chapter 4. The Worms -- Chapter 5. Summary and Conclusions -- Appendix: Pharmacological Activity of Plant Species Used as Admixtures -- Glossary o f Technical Terms -- References -- Index of Maya Terms -- General Index -- About the Authors

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Whereas most previous work on Maya healing has focused on ritual and symbolism, this book presents evidence that confirms the scientific foundations of traditional Maya medicine. Data drawn from analysis of the medical practices of two Mayan-speaking peoples, the Tzeltal and Tzotzil, reveal that they have developed a large number of herbal remedies based on a highly sophisticated understanding of the physiology and symptomatology of common diseases and on an in-depth knowledge of medicinal plants. Here Elois Ann Berlin and Brent Berlin, along with their many collaborators, provide detailed information on Maya disease classification, symptomatology, and treatment of the most significant health conditions affecting the Highland Maya, the gastrointestinal diseases.The authors base their work on broad-ranging comparative ethno-medical and ethnobotanical data collected over seven years of original field research. In describing the Mayas' understanding and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, Berlin and Berlin show that the plants used as remedies are condition specific.› Moreover, laboratory studies demonstrate that the most commonly agreed upon herbal remedies are potentially effective against the pathogenic agents underlying specific diseases and that they strongly affect the physiological processes associated with intestinal peristalsis. These findings suggest that the traditional Maya medical system is the result of long-term explicit empirical experimentation with the effects of herbal remedies on bodily function.Originally published in 1996.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 30. Aug 2021)