Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz cradles a piece of freshly cut aloe vera between her fingers, delicately holding the plant she’s plucked from outside her home. Its dirt-clad roots stretch outward, its green leaves upward, almost as if it’s reaching out to touch her, too.
The Phoenix-based curandera can often be found with plants in her pockets—aloe vera gel has a variety of uses beyond being a widely known salve for sunburnt skin. For Ruiz, it’s an ingredient that can be added to cucumber medicine water or a calendula mist for sensitive skin, even hair gel. In her practice of curanderismo, which is rooted in generations-old, traditional Mexican healing ways, Ruiz says, aloe vera placed near your front door is believed to spiritually protect the home.
This is the type of wisdom in her…
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Sunset (Digital) - 1 Issue, Wellness 2022