Codex Chapman

Medicinal Properties of Plants

Abstract

The Florentine Codex is one of the most important texts to the Aztec people, and one of few codices that survived post-conquest; it is a testament to the Aztecs’ deep understanding of themselves in relation to the natural world (among many other topics the codex covers). This section discusses the medicinal properties of plants used by the Aztecs as shown in the Digital Florentine Codex. Contrary to popular belief, the Aztecs possessed an advanced and complex understanding of health and medicine, relying on natural resources to promote the healing of the ill and injured. The Digital Florentine Codex provides a multicultural perspective on Aztec healing practices as it includes translations and transcriptions between English, Spanish, and Nahuatl languages; images and descriptions will be paired with corresponding analyses in the following section.

Introduction

The Digital Florentine Codex provides accessibility to its vast archive of scientific, medicinal, and spiritual knowledge. Included are examples of the plants native to the Aztec civilization, and the many ways in which they served as a primary healthcare practice.

Obstetrics

Book 11 Folio 171R of the Digital Florentine Codex features an image titled “Use of Nohpalli” depicting a labor-inducing atolli/atole recipe that pregnant women would drink to ensure a safe and less-painful delivery. The recipe calls for raw, ground-up chia seeds, quetzalhuexotl (willow root), an opposum’s tail “one half the length of the little finger,” and water. The Nahuatl-to-English translation discusses the causes of complicated childbirth and their respective treatments. Sexual activity during pregnancy is thought to negatively affect fetal position, causing it to lay on its side rather than head-down towards the cervix; ingestion of the atole mixture could aid in repositioning and delivery of the fetus. The Spanish-to-English translation describes the recipe as multipurpose remedy treat ailments like a  severe cough, and digestive issues. Unrelated to it's healing properties, the mixture of ground-up chia seeds is also compared to Castilian linseed oil in this translation, noting its similarities in texture and function for painting and artwork.

Bone Fracture

Book 10 Folio 112r illustrates the treatment of a bone fracture; a healer rubs a mixture of ground-up cactus root and bandages the wound with four small splints, allowing the wound to drain while keeping the bones in place. The Nahuatl-to-English translation provides a detailed timeline of how to treat the wound as healing improves: “after twenty days it [the bandage] is untied. When it has been untied, then a poultice of liquidambar to which a powdered maguey [root] and lime have been added, is applied.” After applying the mixture, the wound should be periodically drained from the vein “that join together between the big toe and the other toe, so that the wound does not fester.” This passage in the codex demonstrates the Aztecs’ understanding that injuries like a broken or disjointed bone could lead to infection, which in many cases would be fatal. It’s worth noting that bloodletting was a popular and commonly practiced treatment in many cultures beyond Mesoamerica, before the dawn of modern science. 
 

Root plants were popular forms of medicine that could treat anything between a cough, to a severe animal bite. Book 10, Folio 106v expands on treating broken or fractured bones. The zacacili root was especially useful for treating broken spines, ribs, or other complicated injuries to the body: “one should place over such a fracture the ground root called zacacili, put some wooden splints around it, and tie these well so that [the bone] does become dislocated again.” A mixture of roots including zacacili, zazalic, and tememetlatl were also supplemental to the healing process, in which the injured would drink a tea of the roots to prevent infection of the broken bone. 

This passage in the codex highlights the efficacy of these root mixtures, particularly in addressing complex injuries like broken spines or ribs. The detailed instructions provided for its application, including the use of wooden splints to immobilize the affected area, reflect a systematic approach to medical treatment aimed at ensuring proper healing and preventing further complications. The mention of a mixture of roots, including zacacili, zazalic, and tememetlatl, highlights the holistic nature of Aztec medicine. The preparation of a medicinal tea from these roots not only demonstrates a preventive measure against infection but also underscores the importance of herbal remedies in promoting overall well-being and recovery. In addition to the text, the illustration is divided into two, providing a tutorial of how to apply and ingest the medicine. The combination of visual and textual elements is particularly effective, and is comparable to contemporary medical resources like "WebMD" or other online journals.

Pediatrics

Book 10, Folio 111r shares yet another multipurpose root-mixture recipe. The recipe calls for cococpatli and tzontecomaxochitl  “which grow in Quauhtepec…where it is desert, [the mixture] is given as an enema” as described in the Nahuatl-to-English translation, though this treatment is designated strictly for adults. There is a clear distinction between how the mixture is administered; children are not given the mixture via enema. Instead, they chew on the roots and drink the juice to heal ruptured organs that may have been caused by a fall or another physical force to the body. The cococpatli and tzontecomaxochitl root mixture can also treat a child with a persistent cough.
 

Animal Bite

As seen in previous examples, the maguey plant was a useful resource for healing many kinds of illnesses and injuries. In the case of a snake bite pictured in Book 11, Folio 80v, the leaves are turned into a bandage and wrapped around a snake bite wound. The maguey leaves are made into a fiber, then stretched over burning coals and rubbed with tobacco before being placed on the wound. 
 

Dental Care

Although this could be interpreted as a pseudo-medical practice, green maize stalks had to be heated over fire before consumption in order to prevent toothaches. Book 5 Folio 22r notes that heating the stalks was imperative, and forgetting to do so was seen as the cause of tooth pain, specifically the molars: “they said that whoever ate green maize stalks at night would get a toothache or a pain in the molars. And to prevent this, whoever ate a green maize stalk at night would [first] heat it over the fire.”

Pine resin, ground-up worm, chile, tlalcacahuatl (peanut) are the recommended ingredients to relieve the symptoms of a tooth infection. The person pictured is dressed in typical spanish colonial garments, which could be linked with the common belief that the Spanish had overall poor hygiene and health during the time of conquest. Although the pine resin was used to relieve toothaches, the codex mentions that the Aztecs were unfamiliar with Pine and Fir trees, whereas the Spanish had familiarity with them. It is possible that this remedy developed in collaboration between both Aztec and Spanish people. 

 

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