Aymara Medicine

RETAMA (medicinal herb)
sorathamus scoparia, spartium scoparium, genista scoparía

General characteristics
Retama is a herb that grow in the valleys over 2.500 to 3.500 above sea level. It has a yellow flowers that decorate both sides of the roads.
Retama has a hard, gnarled and straight blade with small leaves. Fruits are small black pods with little seeds.

Medicinal Properties
Boil flowers is effective for liver diseases.
Apply floral poultice is effective for abscess (accumulation of pus) because of help abscess burst and began to drain satisfactorily.
Boil flowers and leaves are useful for heard diseases, rheumatism, skin diseases, sciatica and herpes.

Preparation and infusion doses
Pour one cup of boiled water over a handful of flowers(35g), let stand for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups per day.

Boil flowers
Let 25 gr. of flowers and 1 litre of water boil together for 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten. Drink 3 cups per day.

Poultice
Crush a handful of flowers. Extract its juice. Make a poultice from the flowers and apply to the abscess several times a day until it bursts.



Source: Volume 1: Typical food and medicinal herbs. Districts of Codpa.
Authors: Fernando Fernández O. Teodocia Huiarachis.

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Fuente: Tradicional Health Tradicional Atacameña. 1998. Domingo Gómez. Juan Ahumada Charcas. Eduardo Necul Tello. Financiado por Fondart 1997.