What Is Copal
Copal is tree resin identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes. The term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization between gummier resins and amber. The word copal is derived from the Nahuatl language word copalli, meaning “incense”. To the pre-Columbian Maya and contemporary Maya peoples it is known in the various Maya languages as pom. Copal is used by a number of indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America as an incense and communal ceremonies.
Copal Scientific Name: Protium copal Common Name: Copal, Pom
Parts Used: Tree Resin
What Is The Origin Of Copal
Copal is from the Nahuatl language and the word is derived from “copalli,” which means incense; Nahuatl was the language of the Aztecs. In Belize, copal is used as incense and can be found in most market places in the country; they are sold in one pound blocks of resin in its most natural form, with complimentary pieces of dried bark, leaves and drunken baymen, wrapped in leaf parcels.
The Maya and Latino people of Toledo, pieces of copal on coals for spiritual cleansing. Copal has been used in ancient Maya and Aztec ceremony as a ritual offering to the gods. The secondary and less well-known use of copal is as medicine. I was already familiar with the concept of “evil eye” and “spiritual cleansing” from my own cultural background and so the use of copal for these purposes came as no surprise to me. However, whilst working as a medical doctor at the Santa Ana Clinic in Toledo, I stumbled across some other medicinal uses of copal: I found that it was not uncommon for a Mayan to seek medical attention at the clinic before going to see the bush doctor.
What Are Copal Healing Properties
Medical complaints included upper respiratory tract infections and also skin conditions ranging from scabies, fungal mycoses, dermatitis and impetigo. Education on hygiene was usually the order of the day even although the great expectation was for a magical injection of steroid and penicillin. Sadly, I found that my Western medicine knowledge was not appreciated and the next port of call was the bush doctor. The Kekchi view of Western medicine can be encapsulated in the words of a Mayan woman to me: “I come to you for fresh cold…but for real medicine I go to bush doctor.” She went on to explain that only a bush doctor could cure the serious illnesses such as snakebites, “dirty blood” and “fright.”
There is a huge gulf between Western medicine and bush medicine in terms of the concepts of illness, so much so, that medical consultations can be, and usually are, unsatisfactory for both doctor and patient because there is no common ground for understanding. In some cases, patients came full circle back to me after seeing the bush doctor and this was when I was able to catch glimpses of the bush medicine that was used. One of these snippets involved the use of copal resin on skin conditions like dermatitis and impetigo – intriguing because I actually saw good results. Indeed, it was these results which sparked off my interest in copal as a medicine.
I found it amazing that copal was used in its raw, unrefined form and was used especially for skin infections (bark, leaves, dead flies and all!). It was then that my husband (also a medical doctor) and I decided to experiment with the use of copal as a medicinal oil. We managed to refine and clean up the copal resin to make the oil we now coin “copal medicinal oil.”
Further research from bush doctors in the Toledo area and medical plant literature confirms the use of copal for skin conditions. Furthermore, the resin has been used to plug tooth cavities, as an expectorant and in the treatment of muscular aches and pains. Chemically copal resin is made up of isomeric tertiary and secondary, cyclic terpene alcohols. These constituents are known to have antiseptic (both externally and internally) and anti-rheumatic properties. The indications for Copal Medicinal Oil are labelled on the bottle as follows:
Rash / Itch / Xox (Kekchi word for Rash) Burns/Scalds Insect Bites Skin Infections / Fungus Muscle Rub / Arthritis.
The indications are derived from feedback from people who have used the oil for those purposes and find the oil effective in the treatment of that particular condition. With the advent of antibiotic over-use, mis-use, over-prescription and antibiotic resistance, I feel that there is a place for copal medicinal oil in the treatment of skin infections (bacterial and fungal) at an early stage. In my personal observation, copal acts as an effective vulnerary, i.e., an agent which heals wounds and sores. Furthermore, copal has been described in herbals as “hot and dry in the third degree” which possibly explains why it is effective in arthritis and muscular aches often exacerbated by the cold weather.
By Dr. Mandy Tsang in Belize – dra.tsan@gmail.com