MAPUCHE MEDICINE

Calafate or Michay
By Pilar Cimato

I would like to tell you a little story about a bush which is usually found in Chilean and Argentina Patagonia.. This bush is called Calafate or Michay (Barberis buxifolia), it belongs to Berbidaceas family. Its fruits are little blue-violet berries .

Everybody says "... who eat Calafate´s fruit do not leave Patagonia never more. If you are foreinger and you are alone, you will marry and live at Patagonia for your whole life. The first people who arrived to Patagonia, married with countrymen, had children and died in Patagonia. If you leave Patogonia, then you return, perhaps, the fruit is blue-violet like countrygirls dark colour, as the power for the man who eats it. All of us belive that Calafate has this power".

Although this story, Barberis buxifolia is a plant native to the Andes mountains of Chile and Argentina. As tell in the story the fruit is eatable, and if you mash and mix it with honey, the mix is very good for cold and fever. It has laxative properties too.

The active principles, wich allows to "be" a plant with medicine properties , like alkaloids, tannin and resin, gives it bacteriological properties, like peneciline.

Source: Pilar Cimato. Professor of Biological Sciences specialized in environmental health sciences. Her research background has focused on the native and exotic plants phytotherapy. Contact to: pilarc31@yahoo.com.ar edicinal plants in Chile