Remedios caseros: Mexican American home remedies and community health problems

Abstract

A sample of 1235 case examples of remedios caseros (home remedies) was analyzed to determine the morbidity patterns for “home treated” ailments in Mexican American communities in South Texas. A group of seventy most commonly encountered ailments was discovered, as described in the paper. An analysis was made of the variations within the morbidity patterns of these ailments in relation to the age and sex of the informant. Parallels are drawn between the research findings and the results of conventional morbidity research efforts.