The Mapuche Philosophy lies
in the balance between the forces of nature
and spirit. They have to maintain equilibrium
between positive and negative forces to
heal sick person. For example, pain, happiness,
resentment or hatred often could be the
root cause of diseases. The use of medicinal
herbs is combined with some common ways
of diagnosis such as looking at the urine
or the clothes of the sick person.
There are two types of medicinal
herbs. One is used for healing and the other
one is used for revealing disease. The last
one allow machi to contact with the spirit
world or ngenmapu. Laurel tree, Canelo tree
and wilel lawen (herb of the fortune teller)
are plants that allow the contact: foye
(canelo tree) talks with kila and thus each
one is put in contact with another natural
element.
The power of the herbs
Machis and huimpife know hundreds of herbs
for medicinal use. One of the tree that
have played the most important roles in
Mapuche ceremonies is Foye (canelo tree)
which is the sacred tree of The Mapuche
people.
Canelo tree or foye (Drimys
winteri).
Other important plants are cachenlahuen,
viravira, retamilla, paico and quinchamalí.
The medicinal plants play a central role
in sacred rituals or ceremonies such as
ngill.
The machi knows the properties of the medicinal
plants, because of that the relation between
collective and ancestral knowledge is more
complex and deep.
Source : http://www.conama.cl/certificacion/1142/articles-29101_recurso_2.pdf.
