Mexico is unique as having the highest biodiversity of psychoactive plants and some of the highest diversity of psychoactive mushrooms species in the world.
Naturally, this makes for a country full of fascinating and colourful indigenous cultures. The indigenous people of Mesoamerica use many different psychoactive plants, with over 400 different plants and mushrooms being documented.
It is estimated that between 3,000 to 5,000 plants (both native and introduced) are currently used medicinally by 52 different ethnicities in Mexico out of a total of about 30,000 native plants in Mexico.
Today, the traditional herbalism of Mexico is a mixture of Nahua, Maya, Purepecha, Otomi, Tarahumara, Huasteca, Mixteca, Tlapaneca, Totonaca, Yaqui, Guajira, and Zapoteca indigenous medicine, amongst others.
What makes Mexico particularly notable for sacred plants and mushrooms in the Americas is the Aztecs and Mayans recorded a lot of their traditional medicinal knowledge in a series of codexes that are still widely available today online (it is estimated the Spanish burnt 99% of their traditional knowledge because they considered all their books idolatrous).
The herbalist and medicinal knowledge of the Aztecs has been documented in the Badiano-Codex, which catalogues more than 150 medicinal plants and mushrooms. Traditional Mayan knowledge is encoded in the Dresden Codex and many of these sacred plants and mushrooms are still used today in Mayan villages across Southern Mexico and Guatemala.
The image below of the Aztec God of art, games, dance, flowers and song known as Xōchipilli contains a number of the sacred plants and mushrooms used by the Mexica and other Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people (today often referred to as the Aztecs).
If you want to learn more about the medicinal plants and sacred mushrooms of Mexico through experiential learning then join our upcoming Mexico Hiking And Mushroom Foraging Retreat on the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) in early November.
1. Calea Zacatechichi
Scientific Name: Calea Ternifolia
Calea ternifolia (better known in plant medicine as Calea zacatechichi) is a species of flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. The name comes from the Nahuatl word “zacatl chichic” meaning “bitter grass”.
It is best known as the Mexican dream herb and it has been extensively used in Mexico’s traditional indigenous herbalism traditions. It is also traditionally used as a herbal remedy for dysentery, stomach aches and fevers.
The Chontal people of Oaxaca call this plant thle-pela-kano and they use it for divination where they administer the plant by smoking it, drink it as a tea or placing it under a pillow to induce lucid dreams. It is quite bitter if brewed in hot water but the bitterness can be considerably masked by brewing it with Osmanthus flowers.
Calea Zacatechichi is renowned by dreamworkers all over the world as one of the most powerful Oneirogens (dream-enhancing herbs) for dream journeying and increasing dream recall.
2. Sinicuichi
Scientific Name: Heimia salicifolia
Sinicuichi (pronounced seen-nee-kwee-chee), better known today as the “Sun Opener” is believed to be the summer-blooming plant Tonatiuh Yxiuh, which was known as the “Elixir of the Sun” by the Aztecs.
This fascinating sacred herb has the unique ability to “expand the auditory system, brighten the field of vision, and induce vivid dreams that allow one to travel through memories, including past/parallel lives and even prenatal events.”
The leaves can be used fresh or dried in the sun for 24 hours and then drank (there is also a common fermentation process for Sinicuichi) as a tea infusion, which has euphoric, muscle-relaxant and anti-inflammatory effects. An infusion is often prepared to stabilize the blood pressure and relieve anxiety.
It is well-known as a trance divination catalyst as it is antispasmodic, hallucinogenic and sedative. It is used in traditional Mexican herbal medicine both by indigenous cultures and many modern Mexicans in spiritual practice. A high dose of 10g is reputed to be a good “starting point for exploring the spirit world.”
The primary use of Sinicuichi in Mexican folk medicine is for fertility. Infertile women soak in a bath prepared with Sinicuichi leaves among other herbs and essential oils. Sinicuichi is also an ingredient in herbal tea infusions used to promote conception.
3. Cacao Tree
Scientific Name: Theobroma cacao
The scientific name of the cacao tree is made up of the Greek roots theo (meaning God) and broma (meaning food) to mean the “food of the gods”. This plant had divine status among many ancient indigenous Mexican cultures, including the Aztecs who revered this plant and used it in important rituals.
A sweetened form of this plant creates chocolate, which comes from the Nahuatl word “chocolātl” meaning “bitter drink”. The cacao beans were so valuable they were used as a form of currency in ancient Mexico and cacao residues have been found in drinking vessels dating back over 4,000 years, likely to the original Mesoamerican Olmec civilization.
The cacao plant is a powerful aphrodisiac and mood-altering plant, particularly as a fermented beverage. It is renowned in traditional Mexican herbalism as a divine teacher that helps people access a higher state of consciousness, love and unity.
Both the Maya and the Aztecs associated cacao with different gods. The indigenous Aztecs saw cacao as a divine gift from the peaceful god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. In Mayan culture, cacao was a part of the Popol Vuh creation myth and one of the crucial foods that the Mayan gods used to create human beings.
Recent studies of these ancient Mesoamerican cultures reveal that cacao has an established history of being consumed in combination with other ritualistic foods, especially psychoactive plants and fungi.
Raw cacao contains more antioxidants than nearly any other food and it is a potent booster of four neurotransmitters associated with elevating mood and mental well-being: serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine.
Phenylethylamine (PEA) is often referred to as the love molecule because it is produced naturally in the body when we fall in love.
4. Psilocybe Mexicana
Scientific name: Psilocybe Mexicana
Magic mushrooms are found widely throughout Mesoamerica with at least 24 species still being consumed today in Mexico by different indigenous groups. There is a record of psychedelic mushroom use going back at least 3,500 years in the region and its use continues to this day, often in mixed Catholic and indigenous rituals.
The Maya consumed this sacred mushroom, which they called K’aizalaj Okox. The Aztecs call this psychoactive mushroom Teonanàcatl, which in the Nahuatl language translates as the “flesh of the gods.” Both cultures often consumed these mushrooms together with cacao in ritual.
This psychedelic fungus contains two separate entheogenic compounds, psilocybin and psilocin, that make it a potent psychedelic for inducing visual hallucinations and trance states. It is used today by many Indigenous peoples across Mexico and it is widely foraged in the cloud forests of the Sierra Mazateca and Sierra Madre Sur mountains in the state of Oaxaca.
Other popular magic mushrooms consumed in ritual indigenous ceremonies include Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe zapotecorum and Psilocybe aztecorum. Mexico is in the process of legalizing magic mushrooms for medicinal use but currently, they are only allowed to be used for traditional spiritual practices or ceremonies.
Mexico has played a pivotal role in the psychedelic renaissance and the rebirth of animism in the West since Gordon Wasson’s fateful mushroom trip with Maria Sabina and his 1957 photo essay in Life Magazine entitled Finding The Magic Mushroom.
Today, psychedelic mushrooms have become a multi-billion dollar and they show promising results for addressing the modern mental health epidemic of depression, anxiety and narcissism. They are effective at increasing empathy and rekindling a spiritual connection to life that is often lost in highly materialist and largely despiritualized Western societies.
The molecules being used by this emerging industry were originally synthesized from the Psilocybe Mexicana provided to Wasson by Maria Sabina. However, little credit is ever given and no financial compensation has been provided to the Mixteca people for their traditional knowledge.
In the ancient temple city of Teotihuacàn just north of Mexico City, there is the fascinating Tepantitla mural that is dated back to 500 CE, which shows the Toltec rain god Tlaloc, with religious-like figures bearing hallucinogenic mushrooms springing up where his raindrops fall.
5. Balché
Scientific name: Lonchocarpus violaceus
The Mayans consume a mildly intoxicating beverage called Balché, which is a mixture of honey and extracts made from the bark of a leguminous tree, which is soaked in honey and water, and fermented.
It is still common among the indigenous Mayans in Southern Mexico and Guatemala to be used in group ceremonies to achieve intoxication and induce deep states of trance. A closely related beverage, made from honey produced from the nectar of a species of morning glory is called Xtabentún.
According to food writer Sandor Katz, the ancient Mayans consumed balché in enema form to maximize its inebriating effect. After the Mayans were conquered by the Spanish, Balché was banned and the orchards for growing it were systemically destroyed.
6. Morning Glory
Scientific Name: Ipomoea Corymbosa
Ipomoea corymbosa (sometimes classified as Turbina corymbosa) is a species of morning glory that is found throughout Latin America. It is notable for its use in traditional Nahua (Aztec) magic and herbalist medicine where it is called Ololiúqui (also spelled ololiuhqui or ololiuqui) in the Nahuatl language.
Ololiuqui is made from the seeds of certain convolvulaceous plants, known as Morning Glories which have been used since pre-Hispanic times by the Aztecs and other indigenous tribes throughout Mesoamerica. It is still used widely today by many indigenous Mexican peoples such as the Zapotecs, Chinantecs, Mazatecs and Mixtecs.
It is known in Spanish as “the seed of the virgin” and the Morning Glory vine grows plentifully throughout Mexico. In the cities and towns, this vine can be seen covering dozens of walls and gates. During the rainy season the Morning Glory vine blooms with the most beautiful blue or white flowers shaped like bells.
7. Peyote
Scientific name: Lophophora williamsii
Peyote (peyotl in Nahuatl) is extracted from the buds of a small spineless cactus that is only found in the northern deserts of Mexico.
It was widely traded in ancient times, and its use by the Aztecs has been well documented (it’s described in Book XI of the Florentine Codex). They viewed it as a protective plant, and it may have been given to warriors before or during battle.
Today, it is famously used by Huichol people of Jalisco in Northern Mexico, who consider it a singularly benevolent “gift of the gods.” Their Peyote-inspired psychedelic art is one of Mexico’s biggest cultural exports.
The religious faith of the Huichols is still based on a “trinity” of veneration of the deer, corn and peyote. Their surreal Indigenous art often involves spirit animals and sacred figures from what they see on their sacred peyote journeys.
8. Maguey
Scientific Name: Agave americana
There are over 30 types of agave plants used to produce the ancient alcoholic brew Mezcal, which is made from the heart, or piña, of the plant. The most commonly used plan is Espadín agave, which is renowned for its smokey flavour and aphrodisiac properties.
The Mexicas associated this sacred plant with their goddess Mayahuel who is the deity of the Earth and fertility. The name Maguey is an umbrella term for cactus-like plants used to extract intoxicating compounds such as Agave, Tequila and Pulque.
According to Mexica lore, the goddess was dismembered as punishment for having an affair with the sky and creator god Quetzalcoatl and the Maguey sprung up from the difference pieces of her body.
To harvest this sacred plant, the stalk is cut before it blooms, which leaves a hollow stem where the aguamiel (honey water) is collected. This sap-like juice is used for a number of medicinal purposes as well as stomach and intestine cleansing. This juice can be fermented into an alcoholic drink which the Aztecs called octli, and is now called pulque.
According to Surviving Mexico, the sap of the Maguey plant is collected for tequila or mezcal by heating the center of the plant in ovens and then distilled.
The sap has antibiotic properties which was also used to kill both staphylococcus aureaus and E. coli bacteria. It is also used as a sweetener as agave sugar isn’t broken down until it enters the lower digestive tract, which means it doesn’t affect your blood glucose levels as white sugar does.
The Agave plant was also used for medicinal and traditional purposes where its fibers were woven into cloth and thorns were used as sewing needles. The leaves were also mashed into a paper for Aztec codexes, which were pictorial books written to pass down their traditional knowledge and history.
Strangely, the Maguey dramatically blooms only once, which usually takes 10-12 years while its lifespan can be up to 35 years. It is one of the most common plants you will see growing in gardens and parks across Mexico.
9. Wild Tobacco
Scientific name: Nicotiana rustica
Wild tobacco, which the Maya called piziet, was also used to give visions in sacred ceremonies and it was one of the most widely traded medicinal plants in ancient Mesoamerica.
Tobacco contains the alkaloid nicotine which affects the nervous system and would either be chewed, inhaled, or mixed with the leaves of Datura to create a mildly hallucinogenic effect.
Tobacco is actually a tropical plant that is believed to have originated in the Caribbean and through it’s popularity in trade, spread throughout the Americas.
Even in North American indigenous cultures, wild tobacco is widely used in traditional healing and sacred ceremony and it is considered one of the four Sacred Medicines along with cedar, sage and sweetgrass.
10. Salvia Divinorum
Scientific name: Salvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner’s Sage is a sage endemic to a small region of the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca where it is traditionally used by the indigenous Mazatec people for divination and spiritual healing.
It has become popular as a way to go on short and potent psychedelic journeys. It is known to induce intense, but short-lived (10-20 minutes), psychedelic-like changes in mood and perception.
The main active ingredient in the plant is called Salvinorin A, which is considered to be the most potent known hallucinogen of natural origin.
Gordon Wasson has tentatively postulated that the Salvia Divinorum plant could be the mythological Pipiltzintzintli, which is revered as the “Noble Prince” in the Aztec codices. There are also records of ololiuqui being mixed with salvia.
As you can see, there are a lot of interesting medicinal plants and mushrooms found throughout the country of Mexico, which makes traditional Mexican herbalism one of the most fascinating herbal traditions in the world.
He started Mindful Ecotourism in 2016 and he has spent the last decade leading workshops, retreats and hiking adventures around the world teaching ecological mindfulness and experiential learning practices for learning about flora, fauna and fungi.
He offers training, mindful hiking adventures and educational field guides.
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