AN AZTEC HERBAL BOOK

Compiled in 1552 in the Aztec language, Nahuatl, An Aztec Herbal Book was the first medical and herbal text to be created in the New World. Its author, Martín de la Cruz, was an Aztec physician, and it was later translated into Latin by Juan Badiano, an Aztec nobleman. It was translated into English in 1939 by William Gates.

The book covers a range of ailments, from hair loss to cataracts to insomnia and more, and provides detailed Aztec remedies for these illnesses. It includes over 180 black-and-white illustrations of the plants, as well as a supplemental 38 full-color illustrations created for the Gates edition. Additionally, readers can find an introduction to the Mexican botanical system, an analytical index of plants, and a new Introduction from City University of New York anthropologist Bruce Byland.