Main Piece: Diaper Rash

The following was an interview of a Participant/interviewee about a folk remedy that is passed within her community. She is marked as MS. I am marked as DM.

MS: Te voy a dar un remedio para lo rosado de los babies. Agarras y compras un manojo de hierba mora. La pones a hervir con agua suficiente para sentar un baby. Cuando hierve la agua y esta mas o menos la agua verde los pones en un traste donde el baby cepa bein. Cuando ya esta la agua tibiecita agarras y haciendas el baby por como una hora. Después, lo bañas completamente. Lava su partecita, o sus pompis bien bien lavaditas y lo dejas que se hore sus pompis. Vas agarrar aceite de olivo, 3 ajos, y los vas a quemar hasta que el ajo se pone cafecito. El aceite que queda, los vas a poner en el pompis del bebé con un trapo limpio. De ahí, vas a conseguir fecula de maiz y le pones poquito micena en sus pompis que se ore por quince minutos. Despues le pones su pamper y lo dejas tranquilo.

Translate:

MS: I’m going to give you a remedy for diaper rashes. You put it to boil blackberry weed with enough water to sit a baby. When the water boils and the water is more or less green, put it in a container big enough for the baby to sit. When the water is lukewarm you sit the baby in the water for about an hour. Then you bathe it completely. Wash his/her parts thoroughly then let air dry. You’re going to grab olive oil, 3 garlics, and you’re going to burn them until the garlic gets brown. The remaining oil, you will put them in the baby’s behind with a clean cloth. From there, you will get starch of corn and you put little on their behind. Let this sit for fifteen minutes. Then you put their pamper and leave them calm.

Background/Context:

The participant is 52 years old. She grew up in Michoacan, Mexico. Maria, who is marked as MS, is my grandma. When I was growing up, my grandmother was the one who looked over us while my parent was at school or work. She was able to take care of us with her home remedies that she learned from her grandmother’s. Below is a conversation I had with MS for more background/context of the remedy, which was originally in Spanish.  

DM:Why do you know this remedy?

MS:    I know this because I practiced this with my kids and my grandkids.

DM: Why do you like this remedy?

MS:  I like this remedy because it is effective and it does not affect the kids health.

DM: Where/who did they learn it from?

MS: I learned this in my hometown Michoacan, Mexico through her grandmother and her dad’s side.

DM: Why is this remedy important to you?

MS: This remedy is inherited from my grandparents. I saw this in my family for a long time. I want my future generations to have a reliable remedy and it has been passed down in my family and I want to keep it going.

Analysis/ My Thoughts:

I know there is an abundant amount of home remedies that all take care of one symptom like swollen tonsils. The people have the power to choose which ones they will use for themselves. I have never used this home remedy, but MS said it worked for her family.