Wendy Vindell

Medicinalusageandcoffeetraditionsin

LatinAmerica

Being a Latin American descent, I grew up watching how coffee played an

important part of my familys life. I have been able to experience the traditions around it

and have seen how it is used as a natural remedy. Back in Nicaragua, my grandpa and

my uncle both own a coffee plantation and I hear of the festivals that are

associated with coffee season. Although coffee production and

distribution varies amongst different countries in Latin America, their

culture and tradition is alike in many ways. What distinguishes a cup of

coffee from a Latin American household to an American household is

the message behind the phrase. While a cup of coffee can literally mean

just a cup of coffee in the morning, in a Nicaraguan household the

phrase refers to as having any kind of breakfast. Ya tomastes cafe? is

the equivalent of saying, Have you had breakfast yet? Many parts of Latin America,

including Central America and Mexico, use natural herbs and remedies for medicinal

usage and share similar customs and traditions when it comes to coffee.

When associating coffee with medicine, the most common known association is

reducing headaches, and helping someone stay awake due to its caffeine. In a book
called Hierbas Milagrosas (Miraculous Herbs), the author Michael Castleman talks

about the different properties of coffee and what they are useful for. In translation,

Castleman explains how caffeine is a main ingredient used in the healing traditions of

such a herb.

Michael Castleman states that there is no doubt that coffee is a powerful

stimulant of the nervous system. As a stimulant, it helps someone with their sleepiness

and the sedative effects found in antihistamines is a reason for why it is found in many

remedies against the cold.

For athletes, coffee can be highly beneficial. In an article called El mdico y la

medicina deportiva (The physician and Sports Medicine), research shows that coffee

increases physical stamina. As quoted in the book, El Comit Olmpico Internacional

prohbe beber ms de siete tazas durante las tres horas antes de cualquier evento

olmpico. The International Olympic Committee prohibits an athlete to drink more than

7 cups of coffee during the three hours prior to any event. This restriction was however

dropped in 2004, but it is still monitored by the World Anti-Doping agency to scan for
patterns of use.

In an attempt to reduce the risk of asthma attacks, coffee is the essential remedy.

Study shows that caffeine dilates a bronchus in the lungs which supports the traditional

use of the herb.

Coffee contributes to weight loss, pues aumenta el ritmo metablico, it increases

a person's metabolism. A persons metabolism is the amount of calories they burn per

hour, the components found in coffee increases this by approximately 4 percent when it

is being taken with food.

It is a known remedy to treat jet lag. Castleman states that Esta expresin

norteamericana se aplica a la desorientacin, insomnio, y fatiga que se desarrollan

despus de volar sobre husos horarios. In North America jet lag is an expression

applied to the disorientation, insomnia, and fatigue associated with flying in an airplane.

Coffee helps change the natural biological cycle after abrupt changes take place.
Specialists suggest that you drink coffee in the morning when you are traveling west

and drink coffee at night when you are traveling east.

In Latin American coffee traditions, families believe in many myths and practices. For

example, 1) Any food that taste like coffee, such as ice cream, yogurt, or desserts, etc,

has a high probability of containing caffeine. In this case, you should reduce the

consumption of other foods that contain caffeine as well. 2) It is not convenient to give

coffee to kids under the age of 2, and for those over the age of 65 it is safer to give

them light infusions and make them stronger if need be. It is also believed and often

times proven that coffee increases the risk of anxiety, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart

and respiratory rate, and secretion of stomach acids.

Many other concerns with coffee, as once told by my grandmother and later

confirmed by the book, was that overconsumption of caffeine can be detrimental to a

women's health. Women who drink one cup of coffee a day obtain half the possibility to

conceive as opposed to those who dont consume any at all. It is advised that women

who face a history of sterility should limit their use of drinks or even medicines that

contain caffeine.
Not long ago has the FDA identified coffee to be amongst the herbs considered to be

safe. With a lack of secure medical practices and access to healthcare in Latin

American countries, the practice of passed down herbal remedies are still being used

today and in some cases are considered more reliable than prescribed medicine.

Nicaraguaanditscoffeefestivals

Feria nacional del caf result una gran

fiesta en Matagalpa. In an effort to promote

and encourage the various qualities of coffee

grain found in Nicaragua, and to share new

technology of production, Matagalpa found

itself dressed in festivities. El malecon del rio

grande de matagalpa finds itself annually hosting such a grand cultural activity that

brings many people together in order to celebrate the production of Nicaraguan coffee.
This grand celebration kicks off as early as the morning comes and is filled with cultural

activities and conferences over the history and development of coffee in this department

and its contribution to the local economy. The mayor of Matagalpa back in 2009, stated

that the festivals and the celebration are an effort that must always be recognized,

especially the hard workers and the farmers whose job it is to grow and produce the

coffee that we savor at our tables. El alcalde Zeledn Rocha, seal que este es un

esfuerzo que debe ser siempre reconocido, en especial a los obreros y campesinos a

quienes les toca la tarea de cultivar y producir el caf para saborearlo en nuestras

mesas. A participant of the festival was quoted saying, Tenemos el mejor caf del

mundo, nos sentimos orgullosos y damos gracias a Dios por tener la oportunidad de

inaugurar otra feria nacional de este tipo In translation, he states that they have the

best coffee in the world, they feel proud and they thank God for the opportunity to

inaugurate another national fair of this type. These festivals and coffee fairs also allows

small coffee producers to benefit from promoting their production and attracting new

clientele. Many believe that this shouldnt just be a yearly event, but instead should take

place at least twice a year.

Nicaragua also participated in a continental coffee fair hosted in Seattle here in

the United States. La feria de cafs especiales de Amrica provided Nicaragua with an

opportunity to showcase their coffees against hundreds of other coffee producers

around the world. One of the main goals was to leave Nicaragua's presence in the

United States which represents 58% of the coffee exportation, followed by canada with

7%, and Belgium with 6%.

 In Latin America, Nicaragua for example, coffee is used as a natural remedy and

tradition and cultures spike from the importance of such a plant. It plays an important

role in its economy and as a medicinal remedy. Coffee traditions and practices are

passed down in each generation along with their different myths and stories. Having

family in Nicaragua that own coffee plantations themselves, I receive information first

hand from them and am aware of what production and cultivation consists of.

Finca San Ramon is

a coffee plantation
owned by my uncle
back in Nicaragua.
This picture was
directly sent to me
from my cousin who
works on the
plantation.