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 word Azahar comes from the Arabic az-zahr which means flowers. This term can refer to the blossoms of el naranja, el limonero (Citrus × Limon), or even the cidro or citrón (Citrus medica) tree. Most often, Flor de Azahar refers to sweet orange flowers (Citrus × Sinensis) rather than bitter orange (Citrus × Aurantium). However bitter orange blossom is the preferred ingredient for the Mexican pastry pan de muerto.
Citrus trees are not native to Mexico. They arrived with the Spaniards in the 1500s and were embraced as both a flavoring and a medicinal component. One account of the town of Chapala records that Father Sebastián de Párraga arrived in 1562 and planted the first orange trees in the area.
Flor de Azahar is used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and as a digestive stimulate in traditional Mexican remedies. A tea made from blossoms and leaves is used as a remedy for anger issues known as muina or coraje. Adding 7 drops of rum or brandy to Té de Flor de Azahar (Orange Blossom Tea) is thought to help menopausal hot flashes and alleviate menstrual cramps.
Flor de Azahar is also used to treat tuberculosis in some areas of Mexico. Bitter orange (citrus × Aurantium) and sweet orange (citrus × Sinensis) have been shown to have anticancer, antianxiety, antiobesity, antibacterial, antioxidant, pesticidal, antimycotic, and antidiabetic activities. They have mild sedative effects, supporting their use in insomnia and anxiety treatments. Sweet orange (citrus × Sinensis) is an effective treatment for infectious diarrhea and both sweet and bitter orange have antimycobacterial activity supporting their use as a treatment for respiratory issues including tuberculosis.
Té de Flor de Azahar (Orange Blossom Tea)
Here are some simple remedies you can make using Flor de Azahar.
Anxiety Tea
Boil ¼ liter of water. Add:
1 tablespoon Flores de Azahar (Citrus × Aurantium)
Sweeten with honey. Drink 3 cups per day. The last cup should be drunk right before bed.
Digestive Elixer
1 liter of water
4 to 6 tablespoons of flores de Azahar (Citrus × Sinensis)
1 ½ kilo of sugar
2 tablespoons of rum
Boil until it gets syrupy. Take 1 tablespoon after each meal.
Insomnia Tea
Boil ¼ liter of water. Add:
1 tablespoon of Flor de Tila (Ternstroemia lineata)
1 tablespoon of Flor de Azahar (Citrus × Sinensis)
Sprinkle with canela (cinnamon)
Stress Headache Tea
Boil 1 liter of water. Add:
1 tablespoon Flores de Azahar (Citrus x Aurantium)
Although there are several types of cinnamon available commercially, Mexican recipes and remedies call for cinnamomum zeylanicum otherwise known as Ceylon cinnamon. These light brown sticks are made up of many thin layers and are easily ground with a metate (grinding stone).
This spice was brought to Mexico in 1690 by Juan de Esteyneffer, a Jesuit physician from Germany. He combined remedies and treatments he learned in New Spain (Mexico) with the European knowledge he had as a pharmacist in his work Florilegio Medicinal, published in 1712. Juan de Esteyneffer had a powerful belief in the healing properties of cinnamon or rather canela from the Latin word cannella meaning “little tube” referring to the way the bark curls as it dries. He prescribed it as a cure for sudden blindness and deafness indicating that the physician should chew on a stick and then blow the pieces into the eyes or ears of the afflicted.
While that particular remedy didn’t catch on, canela is used to treat stomach issues, fever, cough, colds, rheumatism, regulate menstruation, teething issues, motion sickness, and hangovers in Mexico. It also is considered an aphrodisiac.
Canela essential oil is used as a rub for rheumatism. Cinnamomum zeylanicum has wound healing properties, being both anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive (reducing the sensation of pain).
For cough, 1 section of canela, gordolobo (mullein), ajo (garlic), is boiled in ¼ liter of water and drunk as needed, sweetened with honey and flavored with limón (lime). Cinnamomum zeylanicum is an effective fungicide and can be used to treat a variety of fungi that cause respiratory infections.
It has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiparasitic properties as well as anti-gastric ulcer and anti-secretagogue effects, supporting its use as a stomach ailment remedy. It has also shown to be effective against Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacteria found in the upper gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract and the colon. Both rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease have been associated with this periodontal infection.
Motion sickness calls for canela tea. Teething issues are treated with a decoction of canela, mejorana (marjoram), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), menta (peppermint) and cempasuchil (marigold) is administered.
Cinnamomum zeylanicum has hepato-protective effects, making it a beneficial addition to those that drink just a bit too much alcohol by reducing the effects on the liver. It also lowers the serum cholesterol levels.
Studies have shown that canela is useful in the treatment of PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and helps regulate menstrual cycles among women with this condition. It has also shown to be effective in reducing menopausal symptoms. For cramps, a decoction made with the flowers from la barra de San Jose (Joseph’s staff) and cinnamon is the recommended remedy. A postpartum treatment calls for ajo (garlic), ruda (rue), laurel, romero (rosemary), orange peel, clavo (clove), canela, and alum is added to a small brazier of coals and burned. The new mother stands over the brazier as it smokes. This treatment is done every other day until the 40-day postpartum period is over.
Although tea is the typical method of preparation as an herbal remedy, canela is also a staple in many other traditional beverages. Mexican chocolate, horchata (rice milk) and cafe de olla (coffee) are always made with a dash of canela. Mole, the thick chocolate sauce served with meat and rice, also uses canela, both when it is in broth form and then added again when ground. Tepache, an alcoholic beverage made from pineapple is seasoned with cinnamon. One of the most common atole (a thick corn drink) flavors is canela. And finally Ponche Navideño (Christmas punch) would not taste the same without this little twig.
Surviving Mexico 