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How to Discover the Natural Remedies of Peru

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By Kathryn Romeyn  •  Posted on Mar 20, 2019

 

Peru had been on my travel wish list for years. It wasn’t just Machu Picchu that called me.

The more I spoke to people who had visited, the more the country’s incredibly diverse cultures, traditions and landscapes interested me. Going into the trip I knew to expect lots of excellent food featuring indigenous specialties such as quinoa, corn and potatoes, but I didn’t realize how much I’d learn about a wide variety of local flora, from the famous coca leaves to the root used to make “Incan shampoo.” 

Peruvian wellness traditions—both ancient and more modern—are extremely connected to the earth. Natives have an immense respect for the gorgeous environments in which they live and work, and in the Andes they revere Pachamama, aka earth mother, and hold her above all gods and goddesses. 

I found out very quickly the importance of natural remedies when we arrived at the eco-luxury hotel Libertador Lago Titicaca, which clocks in at just over 12,500 feet and is the gateway to the high-elevation lake in the Andes, with its floating reed islands. 

It turns out starting a trip at that altitude was perhaps not the wisest choice (at almost 8,000 feet, Cusco is usually where people adjust to the altitude), but the staff was prepared for our headache-y, fatigued, out-of-breath reactions, and had coca (mate de coca) and muña teas ready for us as soon as we pulled up. 

I had heard a good deal about coca ahead of my adventure, and was told it would be my savior in high altitudes. It’s one of the most prevalent plants in Peru and takes many forms, from dried leaves the indigenous men chew and exchange in greeting to candies aimed at altitude-adjusting travelers. It does relieve some of the symptoms associated with that kind of sickness, but I wasn’t super fond of the bitter taste. To me, muña made the better tea. Chewing it or brewing it also treats the symptoms, but with a very pleasant minty flavor.   

After we set out from the Libertador onto the lake on a two-day homestay excursion, we discovered even more interesting plants and materials that are critical to the local people. On Lake Titicaca, the language is more often Quechua than Spanish  At our first stop, the Uros people who live on floating reed islands they’ve been constructing for hundreds of years, explained to us that not only do the totora (reeds) function as building materials, they chew on them for dental hygiene and to get calcium.

After we set out from the Libertador onto the lake on a two-day homestay excursion, we discovered even more interesting plants and materials that are critical to the local people. 

On Lake Titicaca, the language is more often Quechua than Spanish. At our first stop, the Uros people who live on floating reed islands they’ve been constructing for hundreds of years, explained to us that not only do the totora (reeds) function as building materials, they chew on them for dental hygiene and to get calcium. 

On nearby Taquile Island, a woman showed us how she uses a green plant called chuho to wash everything from hair to hands to wool they shear from the sheep and then weave and knit. I couldn’t believe the amount of foamy suds she got from mashing up the foliage and adding water. We saw the same soapy result from yet another natural material later in the trip while in Chinchero, between Cusco and the Sacred Valley. 

There, women grate a white root called saqta to make what they call “Incan shampoo.” Not only does it lather up quite well and  clean wool, too, but also legend has it regular use prevents the growth of gray hair.  It makes you wonder why beauty brands insist on using all those chemicals! Ground colla flour is a multitasker that can make yellow dye or, mixed with water, protect their skin from UV rays.

I also witnessed the raw material that's used to create a long-lasting lip or cheek stain. Tiny cochinilla parasites that live on cacti are used frequently

 to dye wool a multitude of colors; when they’re still alive, women squish them to get a stunning scarlet color they use on their lips for important occasions. 

While staying at the dreamy Tambo del Inka resort in the heart of the Sacred Valley, I found out there is yet another use for coca. The spa at the architecturally striking destination features a firming coca treatment that caught my eye. In my opinion, firming is always top of mind for women, and I thought it was interesting that coca can act similarly to caffeine or coffee ingredients in body scrubs and wraps to smooth the appearance of cellulite and nourish the skin. 

To ensure my pores were open to really receive the ingredient, I laid in a dry tiled sauna before the therapist exfoliated my skin with a mixture of chunky local salt (from the nearby Maras mines, an incredible can’t-miss sight) and crushed coca leaves. Later, after she performed a coca leaf reading—think of it like a palm reading—I was the lucky recipient of a soothing massage using a rich, firming creme made from the cure-all plant. The only disappointment of my entire trip? The fact I couldn’t bring any of the magical substances home. 

Always in search of the perfect beach, the most daredevil feat, the best meditation spot and the world’s most delectable slice of pizza, Kathryn Romeyn is a soulful traveler. Read along on her quest of Wellness Wanderlust, as she goes boldly with an open heart and mind.

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