Curanderismo: Folk Healing in Mexico and the Latin American Diaspora
Curanderismo is the folk healing tradition of Mexico and wider Latin America. Read who practices it, how people use it today, what research shows, and safety points.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
What curanderismo is
Curanderismo is the term for the traditional healing practices of Latin American, or Hispanic, cultures. A healer is called a curandero or curandera. [1] It is not one fixed system. It varies by country, region, community and family. This page describes only what is already public and published. Some healing work is private or ceremonial, and this site does not describe it. Community and family sources are the right place to learn more.Where it comes from and who practices it
A 2009 review lists different types of traditional healers, the remedies they suggest, and the illnesses they commonly address. [1] A 2024 survey of 300 first-generation Mexican immigrants in southern Arizona named several kinds of specialists: curanderos and curanderas, sobadores and sobadoras (who work with massage), and parteras and parteros (midwives). [2] A 1979 paper on people of Spanish and Mexican descent in New Mexico described curanderos, herbalists and sorcerers (brujos) as three kinds of practitioner. [3]The Arizona survey also counted herbal medicine and healing foods as lay healing practices. After moving to the United States, use of specialist healers fell much more, while self-care practices such as herbal medicine and healing foods declined by less. [2] See folk medicine and home remedies for the wider picture.
Ideas, described as traditional frameworks
Healers and families explain illness in ways that join body, emotion, relationships and spiritual life. Ethnographic work with Purépecha healers in Michoacán, Mexico, describes local ideas of nervios (nerves), susto (fright) and locura (madness), and ideas about the soul. [4] These are cultural frameworks. They are not medical diagnoses, and this page does not treat them as proven biology. Read more on susto, mal de ojo and other cultural illness concepts.How people use it alongside medical care
Studies describe people combining approaches. In a study of 25 older Mexican Americans in Texas, participants relied on modern medicine for serious injuries and major health problems. They still saw folk healing as a real option when medical care had not worked for them. [5] In a small Houston survey of 51 caregivers, 20% had taken a child to a curandero, and many used herbs and pharmacy medicines together. [6] The Houston authors say that knowing about these practices matters for communication between patients and physicians. [6]What research shows
| Question | What the source found | Strength of evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Does curanderismo as a whole improve health outcomes? | A 2009 review said further research is needed on its effectiveness and its effect on quality of life. [1] | Insufficient evidence |
| How common is its use? | Reviews and surveys report use in many Mexican and Mexican American communities, as high as 50% to 75% in some parts of the United States. [1] | Descriptive survey data, not evidence of benefit |
| Do specific remedies work? | Depends on the remedy. See Mexican folk herbs and Peruvian and Andean medicinal plants. | Varies by remedy |
Proper evidence not found for the tradition as a whole: the sources we read were surveys, interviews and case reports, not controlled trials. Any benefit from being heard and supported would also be hard to separate from expectation.
Frequently asked questions
Is curanderismo the same everywhere?
No. Practice differs by country, region, Indigenous community and family. Researchers describe it as a term covering many local traditions. [1]
Can a curandero treat diabetes, cancer or an infection?
Do not rely on any healer instead of medical care for serious illness. The studies we read found people used folk healing alongside medicine, and one study reported only that further research on effectiveness is needed. [5][1]
Is curanderismo regulated?
We did not find a government license in the sources we read. Check your local health authority and ask any practitioner about training and limits.
Are curandero remedies safe?
It depends. Some are teas or foods, but alcohol and lead-containing products have caused documented harm. [7][8] Ask a clinician or pharmacist.
Can I use it during pregnancy or with children?
Check with a clinician first. Some herbs are not safe in pregnancy; see pregnancy and breastfeeding.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety
Call 911 in the US for an emergency. For a suspected poisoning, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. In the US, call or text 988 for a mental health crisis.
Training and regulation
When to see a clinician first
References
- Tafur MM, Crowe TK, Torres E. A review of curanderismo and healing practices among Mexicans and Mexican Americans. Occupational Therapy International 2009. PubMed 19222054 (abstract).
- Crocker RM and others. The maintenance of Mexican traditional medicine practices among Mexicans in southern Arizona. Social Science & Medicine 2024. PubMed 38788427 (abstract).
- Conway GA, Slocumb JC. Plants used as abortifacients and emmenagogues by Spanish New Mexicans. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1979. PubMed 232204 (abstract).
- Sass L, Alvarez E. Metaphor, magic, and mental disorder: Poetics and ontology in Mexican (Purepecha) curanderismo. Transcultural Psychiatry 2023. PubMed 34919002 (abstract).
- Applewhite SL. Curanderismo: demystifying the health beliefs and practices of elderly Mexican Americans. Health & Social Work 1995. PubMed 8722206 (abstract).
- Risser AL, Mazur LJ. Use of folk remedies in a Hispanic population. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 1995. PubMed 7655602 (abstract).
- DeBellonia RR and others. Curanderismo: consequences of folk medicine. Pediatric Emergency Care 2008. PubMed 18418260 (abstract).
- Welton M and others. Use of lead-glazed ceramic ware and lead-based folk remedies in a rural community of Baja California, Mexico. Global Health Promotion 2018. PubMed 27301977 (abstract).