Tarahumara medicine, part 1

In February of 1994, I read a most interesting article in the El Diario of Nuevo Laredo. It seems that in August of 1993, in Leadville, Colorado, the 11th Annual Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon, a 100-mile foot-race. took place. The Leadville Trail 100 is among the most grueling of races due to the high altitude of the course. The runners must pace themselves to endure the 10,000-12,600 ft. elevations. As a matter of fact, only 138 out of the 294 runners who started the race actually finished it.
All the fancy running gear companies were well-represented. High-tech shoes and power-bars were everywhere, as were the skin-tight, low-resistance body suits, caps, and shades. There were runners from the USA, several Latin American, African, and European countries, and Japan. Among the group of racers were Victoriano Churo, Cerrildo Chacarito, and Manuel Luna, all Tarahumara runners from Panalachi, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Running great distances is second nature to the Tarahumara. In fact, their name means "the people of swift feet," "feet that fly," or "foot runners." For the record, they call themselves the Ral’amul’i, or Raràmuri in Spanish. Running is an integral part of the Tarahumara culture and religious beliefs. When the men hunt deer, they do so in a most traditional and yet unconventional manner. They pursue the game on foot, until the deer drops from sheer exhaustion; they then butcher it and haul the meat back to their village for their families. They don’t even need guns! Running 70 miles a day or 170 miles without stopping is commonplace for the Tarahumara. A Tarahumara mail-carrier may have to run 500 miles with a 40 pound load of mail! The men have a game of kick-ball, which they call rarapìpama, or carrera de bola, where they kick and chase a small wooden ball over hill and dale for up to three days straight, and covering 120 miles. This competition is generally between two or more communities. The Tarahumara women’s equivalent game is called ariweta, and is a little shorter in duration, and different than the men’s kick-ball race, in that they keep a metal hoop rolling with sticks.
A few days prior to the Ultramarathon, the Tarahumara runners made themselves pairs of huaraches from some old tires they found at the Leadville junkyard. Just before the race, they were given some store-bought name-brand running shoes, for which they were most appreciative. But, 13 and a half miles into the race, they opted for their hand-made tire-tread sandals, and changed their foot-gear. They didn’t have any power-bars, but they did carry pinole, a toasted and ground corn gruel, that seemed to work well for them. All three skinny-legged, huarache-shod Tarahumara men crossed the finish line in their colorful sashed sarapes and woolen caps. Victoriano Churo came in first place with a time of 20 hours, two minutes, and 33 seconds. Victoriano, by the way, was 55 years old! Cerrildo Chacarito, 38 years old, came in second place 41 seconds later. Manuel Luna came in fifth. Pinole, anyone?!
The Tarahumara people live in the mountainous region of the Mexican states of southwest Chihuahua and northern Durango. Ninety-nine percent of the Tarahumara live in Chihuahua. There are the Tarahumara Alta, who live in the higher and cooler elevation forest, and the Tarahumara Baja, who live in the lower and hotter altitude cliffs and canyons. This indigenous group speaks a language belonging to the Nahua-Cuitlateco group, which is the same language group of the Huichol, Cora, and Pima people. They share some of the same beliefs and customs, including the use of certain medicinal plants. The Tarahumara eat a low calorie diet, primarily comprised of wild fruits, pine nuts, greens, roots, corn, beans, squash, potatoes, wheat, barley, onions, and chile. They also keep a few sheep and goats for milk, cheese, and wool. They eat very little meat, except for an occasional fiesta, where an animal is butchered and shared with a large group, or when wild game may be available.
The Tarahumara are known for their endurance, stamina, and of course, their running. A saying among them is that a child will run before it walks. The terrain upon which they dwell is rough and angled, either up or down. A vehicle could not be driven in most areas, even if needed. Therefore, the only option is to walk or run wherever one needs to go. Diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, stress, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke are virtually unknown among the Tarahumara. The average blood pressure for a Tarahumara adult is 90/60. Interestingly, "normal" blood pressure for Joe and Jill America is tagged at 120/80, and medical experts suggest intervention, including diet, exercise, and natural remedies, when those values are exceeded. Next month we will look at some of the medicinal plants used by the Tarahumara of Sojahuachi, Chihuahua.
That will take care of this month. As always, consult with your physician before using any herbal remedy. For question or comments on this column, I can be reached via e-mail at glorioso@netscorp.net. For more information on herbal medicine in South Texas, go to www.laredosnews.com and click on "The Medicine Man" column or the "Medicine Man Archives" for a collection of previous articles.