Dr. Hillary Campbell of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Sacramento, said she found a survey from the World Health Organization while researching alternative medicine. It suggested that 80 percent of developing countries use herbal medicine.
"And now most people using alternative medicine in Western society are those who have immigrated from developing countries," she said.
Many combine the home remedies with modern medicine, working with doctors who teach them to avoid bad combinations or overuse of alternative treatments.
Like Curiel, Rebecca Gonzalez's grandmother was known in her town in Mexico as the woman with the remedies and knowledge. Gonzalez said that back then, in the rural town, even if people wanted to go to a doctor it was impossible to find one.
"So part of it may have been necessity, but part of it may have been a way of life," she said.
Gonzalez said she still relies on teas to help with a sore throat or insomnia before she'll go to a doctor or take a pill. And in the winter, to avoid getting sick, she said, she always has cinnamon or mint tea brewing.
But the Sacramento woman said she doesn't use all the handed-down remedies, among them softening the pain of tonsillitis by swallowing an egg yolk sprinkled with sugar. Or warming a banana peel and placing it on the bottom of her foot to soothe a sore throat.
"I am more cautious now and I probably would take the kids to the doctor for things that may seem more serious," Gonzalez said.
Dr. Ashby Wolfe of the department of family and community medicine at the University of California-Davis Medical Center said a lot of her patients are Latino and many have used some kind of alternative medication.
It's her routine to ask every patient.
"It is important that we as doctors ask if they are using alternative medications and pay attention to these forms of medications," Wolfe said.
Too much of an herb can become toxic, and it can be unsafe to take some of them with prescribed medications.
But alternative medicine can also complement prescribed medicines, Wolfe said.
A 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that 38 percent of adults reported using complementary and alternative medicine in the previous months.
Wolfe and Campbell both said they believe doctors don't get enough training in complementary and alternative medicines.
Curiel's training has come from experience. And the success of his advice relies partly on faith.
"Not all the home remedies that I know of work for everyone, but staying hopeful and positive definitely helps," he said.
For depression, Curiel suggests showering with palo de Brazil, or Brazilwood. He tells people it can heal the heart and calm the nerves just by holding it while in the shower.
For people who have skin infections or gastritis, he suggests a plant called cuachalalate that can be soaked in water and be rubbed on the skin. He also tells them to drink the leftover water as a tea.
Curiel treats his own diabetes with nopalitos, a cactus. He said it also can be used to lower the need for cholesterol medication and treat gastrointestinal disorders, skin ailments and viral infections. He tells people to cook the nopalitos and eat them on their own or drink them in a smoothie.
A couple of doors down Franklin Boulevard from where Curiel dispenses his advice, many of the herbs he recommends are for sale at La Mexicana Bakery.
Miguel Campos and his mother, Gloria Campos, said that, in a good day, 10 to 15 customers will buy herbs for various treatments.
"Our store is known to be the place to go for these remedies," Miguel Campos said.
These days, many of them come in cellophane packages with labels marked in Spanish and English.
Gonzales said she believes her children will continue the home-remedy tradition.
"These remedies are part of their culture and they come with the story of 'This is what my grandmother did,' so maybe it will work," Gonzalez said.
SOME COMMON HERBAL REMEDIES
Chamomile:
USES: Flowering tops of the plant are used to make teas, liquid extracts, capsules or tablets for sleeplessness, anxiety and gastrointestinal conditions such as upset stomach, gas and diarrhea.
Can be applied to the skin as a cream or an ointment for various skin conditions, or used as a mouth rinse to treat mouth ulcers resulting from cancer treatment.
THE SCIENCE: Has not been well studied in people so there is little evidence to support its use for any condition.
SIDE EFFECTS: Allergic reactions can include skin rashes, throat swelling, shortness of breath and anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Cinnamon
USES: Orally, cassia cinnamon is used for type 2 diabetes, gas, muscle and gastrointestinal spasms, preventing nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, infections, the common cold and loss of appetite.
Also used for impotence, bed wetting, rheumatic conditions, testicle hernia and menopausal symptoms.
THE SCIENCE: Cinnamon is a good source of manganese, an important component of a healthful diet. It contains a substance that activates formerly inhibited insulin receptors.
SIDE EFFECTS: Its anticlotting properties can cause profuse bleeding in conjunction with other blood thinners if a patient is injured, menstruating excessively or has surgery.
Garlic
USES: High cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer, including stomach and colon cancers.
Garlic cloves can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be dried or powdered and used in tablets and capsules. Raw, the cloves can be used to make oils and liquid extracts.
THE SCIENCE: Garlic may slow the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and may slightly lower blood pressure.
SIDE EFFECTS: Breath and body odor, heartburn, upset stomach and allergic reactions all more common with raw garlic.
Aloe vera
USES: Clear gel from the leaves is often used as a topical ointment for burns and other conditions. The green part of the leaf that surrounds the gel can be used to produce a juice or a dried substance taken orally for diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and osteoarthritis.
THE SCIENCE: Topical aloe gel may help heal burns and abrasions. Other uses have not been heavily researched.
SIDE EFFECTS: Gel can inhibit healing of deep surgical wounds. Abdominal cramps and diarrhea have been reported with oral use, which can decrease the absorption of many drugs.
St. John's wort
USES: Sleep disorders, nerve pain and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Also can be used as a sedative, to treat malaria and as a balm for wounds, burns and insect bites.
THE SCIENCE: Studies have shown varied degrees of success in treating depression.
SIDE EFFECTS: May cause increased sensitivity to sunlight. Other side effects can include anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headache or sexual dysfunction.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, http://nccam.nih.gov
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