Andean traditional medicine plants. The case of “Limpia” (Cleansing ceremony)

Abstract

The Andean worldview embraces a holistic understanding of well-being. For Andean Traditional Medicine (ATM), health comprises the internal energetic equilibrium of the individual and the equivalent energetic balance with the surrounding environment. The human being should be in harmony with the family, the community, Nature and the Cosmos to achieve complete welfare (Mathez-Stiefel et al. 2007).Rupture of this energetic balance causes disease. Therefore, treatment focuses on restoring the original stability in the body and the soul (Bautista-Valarezo et al. 2020). For this purpose, plants are the primary therapeutic resources described in ATM (Houghton 1995). The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the rational use of complementary therapy—including herbal remedies—to ensure widespread therapeutical coverage, especially in developing countries. The application of herbal medicines as co-adjuvant of prescribed drugs could support the administration of minimum effective doses to lessen the probability of dose-dependent adverse reactions. They may contribute to improving adherence to the prescribed pharmacological therapy