Age: 20s Location: Los Angeles

Context: Participant and I in were anthropology class discussing various means of folk medicine from our childhoods. She is Mexican-American with both her parents having been born Mexico.

Text: Rubbing an egg on an area of the body to ‘cure’ it. Regardless if its a physical injury or an illness like the flu. The participant mentioned that her mother and her mothers family were more likely to do this, however her father never seemed to question the act and accepted it easily, likely encountering in his life as well. She mentioned it is a common thing to do in Mexican-American households.

Analysis:

The practice illustrates the normalization of ritual healing within Mexican-American households and a good example of folk medicine practices. By passing the egg over the body, the family performs a “cleansing” that validates communal beliefs and provides psychological comfort regardless of the specific medical diagnosis. There is value in the act of care and attention provided with this likely soothing act of rubbing the egg.