Last week I wrote about Ojon, a company that offers products made from the oil of the Ojon tree, only found in the Honduras rain forest. As I wrote that blog entry, I kept thinking about my own ancient beauty secret, which you won’t find in Sephora in pretty packaging; at least not yet.

 

I am referring to Tepezcohuite, a pomade made from the bark of a tree found in southern Mexico (Oaxaca and coast of Chiapas) all the way to Brazil. The Mayans used roasted Tepezcohuite bark to treat lesions of the skin for over a thousand years. Powdered tepezcohuite bark contains large amounts (16%) of tannins, which act as an astringent, making the skin stop bleeding. This helps protect the body from infection, while the skin builds new protective tissue. It also contains three kinds of steroid, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.

 

Tepezcohuite Tree

 

There have been several instances were Tepezcohuite has been used to treat thousands of burn victims on the aftermaths of disasters in Mexico, such as a very large gas explosion and the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Extensive research has been performed in labs in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is now used in commercial hair and skin products for rejuvenating skin.

 

Tepezcohuite Arbol de Vida

 

Tepezcohuite is sold in the form of a pomade and can be found in any pharmacy in Mexico. It’s been a staple on my medicine cabinet since the night I fell down on a sidewalk near the beach and scrapped my knee very badly with sand and concrete. The following day, after I took the neccesary steps to lessen my hangover, I treated the lesion with the pomade.

 

Several times a day I applied Tepezcohuite over my huge scab and did so for several weeks until the scab just peeled off and my new skin was revealed, not a trace of a scar on my knee. Since then I’ve used it every time I burn myself cooking. If you use this pomade, I recommend you apply it several times a day and don’t get discouraged when you notice the scab getting darker, it is working. It will not give you immediate results, depending on your injury it might take two weeks or more; just be consistent and you will end up with new skin and no scars.

 

As I mentioned before, this product is sold in any pharmacy in Mexico. I recommend the brand Arbol de Vida, although other brands are available as well. Online you can purchase it from Herbs of Mexico and it can be your ancient beauty secret as well.

 

Do you use non-conventional beauty treatments? We would love to hear about them and maybe feature them in this blog.