Earth Medicines

 

An accessible guide to time-honored Indigenous wisdom, healing recipes, and wellness rituals for modern life from an experienced curandera.

 

In Earth Medicines, Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, a curandera (or traditional healer) who is a Xicana with Tewa ancestry, combines Indigenous wisdom from many traditions with the power of the four elements. This modern guide is designed to support readers on their path to wellness with lifestyle practices and recipes perfected by Ruiz in her twenty-five years of training and working as a curandera. Ruiz teaches readers to be their own healers by discovering their own ancestral practices and cultivating a personal connection to the elements.

 

These healing recipes and rituals draw on the power of Water, Air, Earth, and Fire—a reminder that the natural elements are the origins of everything and can heal not only our bodies, but the mind and spirit as well.

 

In chapters organized by each element, readers will first find recipes and advice for:
• Promoting inner harmony through Hydrotherapy for Headache Relief, Mayan Tea to Calm the Mind, or Ginger Fire Honey Chews
• Nurturing beauty inside and out with Tepezcohuite Honey Mask, Salt of the Earth Deodorant, or Sweetwater Herbal Mouth Rinse
• Taking care of the spirit by creating an ancestral altar, making loose incense, or performing a Mayan Bajo Steaming Ritual

 

About the Author

 

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz is an indigenous foods activist, medicine maker, natural foods chef, and curandera (Mexican traditional healer) educating and supporting others in reclaiming the kitchen healer approach to health with Indigenous wisdom and whole food cooking. Her holistic wellness background spans over 25 years in which she has had the opportunity to work with grassroots activists, tribal leaders, top wellness resorts, and professional athletes–helping people (re)connect to their ancestral foods, earth medicines, and health practices.

 

Felicia’s work has been featured in Spirituality & Health, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and many other media platforms including The Original Americans episode on Padma Lakshmi’s Taste The Nation (Hulu). Felicia presents frequently around the country on Native American healing practices, holistic wellness, and Native American food sustainability at community events, universities, and museums–including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

 

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