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Table 9 Medical conditions of local citizens and their treatment regiments

From: Identifying health care access barriers in southern rural Ecuador

Variable

Treatment Optionsa

Medical Condition

Cut hand

Anti-inflammatory pill, OTC

Chamomile tea (externally applied)

Cut leg

Chamomile tea (externally applied)

Rubbing alcohol (externally applied)

Pain medication, prescribed

Tetanus injection

Hospital-administered medication to prevent infection

Influenza

Orange juice, hot

Lemonade

Quemado

Alcohol (ingested)

Guichingue plant seed, flower of Tilo plant, lemon juice, and honey in boiling water (ingested)

Sangorache (amaranth flower) juice or tea with lemon

Tea from Llantén plant

Mortiño berries (blue berries)

Singripal pill, OTC

Coffee with liquor

Gastritis

Chamomile tea (ingested)

Buscapina (ingested)

Aspirin

OTC medications

Alcohol (ingested)

Achotillo fruit in boiled water

Diabetes mellitus

Aspirin

Modifying diet

Hypertension

Anti-hypertensive pills (undefined)

Hypercholesterolemia

Prescribed medications (undefined)

Hernia

Surgery

Dengue

Prescribed medications (undefined)

Yerbatera healer injections (undefined)

Kidney stone/ dehydration

Surgery

Hydration

Prescribed medications (undefined)

Myroxylon balsamum/ Chaquino plant stem in boiled water, allowed to cool

Body/ back pain

Stop heavy lifting

Prescribed medications (undefined)

Herbal tea (undefined)

Swimming

Alcohol (ingested)

Shower

Therapy exercises

Anti-inflammatory pills, OTC and prescribed

Rest

Curandera healer

Menthol

Headache

Prescribed medication

Finalín pill, OTC

Common cold

OTC medications

Lemonade, hot

Tea from Llantén plant

Sugar cane

Mortiño berries

Buscapina pill with oregano

Moshquera with oregano

Quemado

Sangorache juice or tea with lemon

Gout

Cucumbers

Avoid red meat

Medication, in hospital

Prescribed medication

OTC medication

Side effects of spreading insecticide

Warm shower

Rest

Eat a meal

Sangorache juice or tea

Thyroid cancer

Thyroidectomy followed by levothyroxine and chemotherapy

Appendicitis

Appendectomy

Fever

OTC medication

Sangorache juice or tea with lemon

Tea from Llantén plant

Mortiño berries

Pneumonia

Prescribed amoxicillin and paracetamol

  1. aDefinitions:
  2. OTC: over-the-counter
  3. Horchata: herbal tea drink made from a mix of herbs and flowers. Herbs include but are not limited to cola de caballo/ shave grass, llantén, borraja, flax, and escancel/ bloodleaf. Flowers include but are not limited to rose geranium, small roses, violets, begonias, carnations, fuschias, and malva olorosa/ malva blanca. [20]
  4. Lemonade: horchata with lemon
  5. Quemado: hot distilled alcohol/ guarapo (fermented sugar cane juice), panela (unrefined whole cane sugar), orange juice; some add cinnamon or lemon
  6. Guichingue: plant; species is Bidens pilosa [21]
  7. Tilo: herb; species is Justicia pectoralis [21]
  8. Sangorache: plant; species is Amaranthus cruentus L. [21]
  9. Llantén: plant; species is Plantago major L. [21]
  10. Mortiño berries: fruit; species is Solanum americanum Mill. [21]
  11. Singripal: acetaminophen, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, chlorpheniramine maleate, dextromethorphan hydrobromide, ascorbic acid
  12. Achotillo: fruit; species is Caryocar amygdaliferum Mutis [21]
  13. Yerbatera/Curandera: healer who uses plant remedies
  14. Buscapina: acetaminophen, caffeine, pyrilamine maleate
  15. Finalín: caffeine and acetaminophen
  16. Moshquera: bitter herb; species is Croton sp. [22]
  17. Chaquino: plant; species is Myroxylon balsamum [23]