In this class, you’ll be able to explore the viability of adding one or all of 19 native Mexican plants to your garden. Each lesson contains growing and harvesting tips, historical and medicinal information, and a recipe or remedy so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
You’ll also receive the 58-page Wellness Garden booklet with plant studies and illustrations done by the talented Claudia Guzes AND the 38-page Works Consulted bibliography so you can conduct your own research.
The plant quesitos (Malva spp.) “little cheeses” gets its name from shape of the plant’s fruit. My husband has pointed this plant out on several of our wildflower explorations, being consistant about reminding me that it was edible (although not very tasty in my opinion). He also never fails to mention that his 5 sisters would harvest the plant’s quesitos for their dolls.
The term malva is also used in our area but reserved for the more ornamental versions of this species. Other names in Mexico include malva de quesitos, malva de Castilla, ahala, malba, malva alboheza, malva verde, violeta de cuchi, hierba quesera, quesillos en Veracruz, juriata eranchi and juriaterango in Purépecha, du-ene in Mazahua, alahuacciopatli in Nahuatl, and baldag malv in Zapotec.
Traditionally, malva is used as a digestive aid and wound wash. An infusion made from the leaves is prescribed for kidney problems. Fresh, crushed leaves are applied to bruises to reduce inflammation. The leaves are boiled as a vegetable and the “quesitos” are eaten as well. Its seeds are included in poultry feed.
There are at least 240 genera and more than 4,200 species in this classification. Only a handful have been studied thoroughly. Malva has been used as a food source and medicine for thousands of years. The origin of this species is uncertain, although some experts suggest that perhaps the Malvaceae family came from the Mediterranean area.
In general, Malva plants have diuretic, anti-diarrheal, and laxative properties. They possess moderate antimicrobial activity, high anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties, and strong anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties.
In Puebla, malva parviflora root is made into an infusion for dysentery. In other areas, the leaves are applied topically or a leaf infusion is administered to treat rheumatoid arthritis. In Chiapas, a foot bath for swollen feet is made from the leaves. Children with a fever are bathed in water that contains malva leaves and flowers in many areas of Mexico. Its also used in remedies for diarrhea, cruda (hangover), empacho (indigestion), TB, colds, sore throat, cough, bronchitis, and cavities. Crushed leaves are applied topically for wounds, cuts, animal stings, headaches, and mouth sores. A cold compress is made by boiling one entire plant in a liter of water then allowing it to cool completely. The herb is wrapped in a cloth and applied to the affected part. The cloth is rewet every 10 minutes for half an hour. An infusion is made as an eyewash.
Malva de Quesitos Sore Throat Tea
4 teaspoons of dried or 8 teaspoons of fresh malva de quesitos including leaves, flowers, stems, and roots (Malva parviflora)
Add the herb to a cup of boiling water. Steep for 5 – 20 minutes. Strain. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes more. Drink 3 cups a day.
The roots and leaves of malva rotundifolia, known as malvón, are used in a bath to lower fever in Mexico and Guerrero states. The dried or fresh flowers are boiled for an infusion drank lukewarm before breakfast and before bed for headache, joint pain, and stomach ailments. The roots and leaves are made into a decoction for a stomach cleanse.
Malva neglecta (L.) Wall., malva de quesitos, is often used as a digestive aid in instances of empacho (indigestion) or coraje (anger sickness). It’s also prescribed for urinary infections and fever. This plant has considerable antioxidant and wound healing properties.
Malva verticillata L. var. crispa is a common food item served raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable. It is a rich source of antioxidants.
Combine herbs in equal parts. Pour a cup of boiling water over a rounded teaspoon of the mixture. Steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink in the morning before breakfast.
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Interested in discovering a path to wellness through traditional medicine? Discover Mexican herbalism with common remedies used today with the series Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico.
At some point last year, I decided to up my game when it comes to fitness. If you remember, I bought a stationary bike the first year of the pandemic. It’s been getting regular use. I’ve made it my goal to increase my time on the bike every month.
Next, I determined that I wanted those Victorian Babe arms and bought some hand weights. Gradually I’ve been increasing repetitions and weight in my exercise regime. But the hand weights weren’t working fast enough in my opinion. So I bought a pull-down bar and had my husband install it in the new building project.
The pull-down bar didn’t come with any weights. I figured I could get some at the Bodega. But my husband convinced me he could rig up a bucket that I could fill with gravel and use with the pulley set up. Ok then. I’ve been adding a shovelful of gravel every month and now I am up to being able to lift ¾ of a 5-gallon bucket.
To keep me motivated, I broke my daily exercise into 3 segments that coincided with the dog walks. I’ve been feeling pretty good about myself. I have lost enough weight that I only have 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of pajama pants that stay up and have developed parenthesis wrinkles on my face (ok, so that didn’t make me as happy but it is what it is.) Anyway, that brings the story up to last week.
Thursday afternoon, I headed over to the new lot to do another round of pull-downs. I started in all gung-ho and about mid-way all of a sudden the handle on the bucket snapped. I flew backward several feet, hit my head on the corner of the cement stairs hard, scraped my arms to shreds on the way down, and had a board not been covering the aljibe, I would have fallen in and probably drowned.
I sat there a few minutes dazed trying to figure out what had happened. I decided that was it for my exercise for the day and dragged my sorry butt back to the house. I told my husband and son what had happened and they should monitor me for signs of head trauma, which I looked up on Google. Google wasn’t reassuring because the top news item was the autopsy results on Bob Saget, who had NOT died peacefully in his sleep, but as a result of an accidental head injury.
I then contacted my BFF who is a nurse and asked her what I needed to pay attention to. She said that any nausea, dizziness, double vision, headache (not at the impact site), and sleepiness is cause for concern. I relayed this to my caretakers (son and husband) and went to lay down awhile with my throbbing head.
Since I am now regaling you with this tale, I pulled through, none the worse for wear. My husband has redesigned the bucket pulley setup and this morning I started back on my pull-downs, but with less gravel and fewer repetitions. Those Victorian babe arms aren’t going to mold themselves!
Surviving Mexico 