Traditional Mexican Remedies
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Updated Feb 25, 2022, Published Feb 23, 2021
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My maternal grandma lived to the age of 98 years old. She lived a long and healthy life. I never heard her complain of any aches and pains. She was a very strong woman.
Whenever I was sick as a child, my mother did not take me to the doctor. Instead she took me to grandmas house to care for me. My grandma would diagnose me and heal me with natural remedios (remedies).
These are my grandma’s home remedies, I’d love to hear your own home remedies in the comments below.
Vicks VapoRub
If I had a cold or a fever she would smear Vicks VapoRub on my chest. She would also spread vapor rub on the soles of my feet and have me wear socks to bed.
Homemade rubbing alcohol
If I had a fever she would soak a towel with a homemade green rubbing alcohol and placed it on my forehead. The homemade alcohol had floating herbs inside the bottle including romero (rosemary) and marijuana (interesting, right?!).
Hot Herbal Teas
If I had a stomachache she would either brew some manzanilla (chamomile) or hierbabuena (mint) tea. The herbs she used were fresh from her garden — she never used tea bags.
Té de manzanilla (Chamomile Tea)
There’s just something soothing about chamomile, and it’s not just an old wives’ tale.
Té de manzanilla (chamomile tea) brings back so many warm memories. My grandma grew chamomile in her backyard and she always made me a warm cup of manzanilla if my tummy hurt or before bedtime.
I continue to drink chamomile at night to wind down and, when my children have a tummy ache I make this chamomile tea for them. Even when they were babies I’d make them some té de manzanilla sweetened with honey and gave it to them in their baby bottle. A warm cup can be just the ticket to calming your child.
This is a great tea to drink after dinner, before bedtime. Chamomile tea has soothing, calming, and relaxing properties. You can either use dried chamomile flowers or chamomile tea pouches. Chamomile is best served hot and is delicious with a bit of honey.
Hierbabuena (Mint Tea)
Mint relieves digestive symptoms, such as gas, bloating, and indigestion (read more science-backed benefits).
Té de Oregano (Oregano Tea)
If I had a cough or a sore throat, she would make me Té de Oregano (Oregano Tea) made of dried oregano and would have me gargle with salt water, and for dinner I knew delicious caldo de pollo would be on the menu.
Té de canela (Cinnamon Tea)
Both my grandmothers drank té de canela (cinnamon tea), as well as used the aromatic spice in savory and sweet dishes. After researching, I realized there are surprising health benefits and unique healing abilities associated with this beloved spice.
Evil Eye
Sometimes if I was sick for no apparent reason she would say, “Alguien te dio el mal de ojo” (Someone gave you the evil eye).
She would sweep an egg over my body and begin to pray, then she would crack the egg in a glass of water and place the glass on the floor under my bed, and in the morning she would say the evil eye was gone, and magically I felt better.
Empacho
There were other times that she blamed illnesses on empacho, literally meaning an impacted stomach. She would crack a fresh egg (over-easy style) on my tummy and roll the yolk back and forth until it broke. Then she would smear Vaseline on her hands and massage my legs to work out any knots. It was a deep tissue sobada (massage) that was quite uncomfortable as a child.
She especially did this if I accidentally swallowed my chewing gum because she would say the gum would go down to my legs and needed to be worked out before it caused other stomach issues.
More home remedies
Then there were the common cuts and scrapes that were treated with fresh aloe vera squeezed from her aloe plant accompanied with “sana, sana, colita de rana…”
Of course, if I was really sick like when I had the chickenpox in the second grade then I was taken to the doctor. I remember the doctor recommending some pink calamine lotion for my itchy body. My grandma ended up making her own concoction that relieved the itching far more than the pink stuff. I’m not sure how she made it, but it worked.
No matter what remedy grandma tried, I knew she would always make me feel better. As a mother I make herbal teas for my children and rub their chests with Vicks, and make them homemade chicken soup if they are sick.
I even bought my children some evil eye bracelets to keep el mal de ojo away. I’m all about trying the tried and true first before running to the doctor. My children love the extra attention and I prefer to try simple old-fashioned remedies first.
I’ve always thought that I could write an entire book on the home remedies grandma had for any ailments. She was such a wonderful healer in more ways than she knows.
Check out more home remedies
- 16 Cross-Generational, Home Remedies Mothers Swear By
- Survival Healing: Traditional Mexican Remedies
- Home Remedies – Herbal Home Remedies – Natural Herbs
If you have natural home remedies that work for you, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Photography by Raemi Vermiglio
I thought there was a book? Am I wrong?
I enjoyed very much reading All of your grandmothers remedies I felt I was reading my own story with my grandmother. As a child I was often scared by this or that, she would drag a bushel of Eucalyptus i believe, and pray over me.
As with many others I grew up seeing the bottles with herbs floating in them Grandma alwys used wine bottles. And as a child i knew i could not go into a certain part of the back yard were Grandma had her plants growing lol. But my question is I live in Ca and now many of my elders from my family in their mid 80’s are talking about it and want to make it for themselves. Is it illegal for them to have it?
My great grandmother who was from Arizona use to heal everybody in the neighborhood the parents never took the kids to a doctor but to my grandmother’s home she has a big shelf 6 ft high with about 100 different remedies my grandfather came back from world war 2 and had malaria he had went to several doctors with all the same answers we can’t do anything well he went back to my great grandma’s house hetold me she gave him 3 different remedies to drink he sweated it out in bed for 2 weeks very bad but it was gone never to return my grandfather is 94 yes old her in Los Angeles and continues to share living warm stories of his grandmother my great grandmother thank you very much for your blog we need more ppl to share
It must have been 40 years since I have heard the saying, “Sana sana colita de ranna “ I remember thank you for sharing a bit of my past.
this brings back LOTS of memories of my grandmother Angelica. I sure do miss her. i also remember her with a white looking rock, where she would pray over us if we were scared or afraid. She would pay and put small crosses all over us from head to toe. when she was done, she would put it on the comal and it would form the shape of whatever it was that you were scared of “removing it from you”.. so many memories. almost all the ones you shared were exactly practiced in my family growing up with grandma.
Great stories. Here’s one I got from one of my Argentinian work friends. I was having shoulder pain and stiffness from working on the computer too much and she took me in the restroom and said lets try this. I swear, I thought she was nuts, but it worked. My shoulder pain was much better after about 10 minutes.
I also remember my grandmother in Mexico always kept an alcohol bottle with marijuana for pain, and now its a billion dollar industry. Ha ha to the skeptics.
I too remember my grandma with her homemade medicine, I use some for my gringo grandchildren
The way you have provided detailed tips, opinions, and discussions about constipation and its home remedies,
Is imperative. Reading this post will make everyone feel better about constipation.
Where can I get a bracelet for evil eye
Love your remedies, I’m going to add them to my list