The Curandera

The Curandera is a short 7 minute piece featuring a lovely healer treating the children of her village all while explaining how she began her journey utilizing sacred plants and the traditions of her ancestors. The curandera/curandero dedicate their lives to the administration of remedies for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual illnesses based on their evaluations of their patients.

There are many different types of curanderas/curanderos. "Yerberos" are primarily herbalists. "Hueseros and Sobaderos" are bone/muscle therapists who emphasize physical ailments. "Parteras" are midwives. "Oracionistas" work primarily through the power of prayer.

Although many curanderas/curanderos do have a specialty and may identify with it, that does not mean that these healing modalities are necessarily strict and don't overlap. As an example, an oracionista may also be a powerful yerbera and so on. Elena Avila is the author of an excellent book on curanderismo titled Woman Who Glows In The Dark   it is definitely a must read for anyone interested in the day to day practices as well as the history and traditions of a modern curandera.