and horses eating them, and this may be the result of the 
inherent properties of the seeds.”’ 
I have never heard reports during my field work in 
Guatemala that would indicate toxicity in Euphorbia lan- 
cifolia; nor in my discussions with local physicians has any 
such danger been expressed. It should be emphasized that the 
leaves and branchlets of ixbut, not the seeds, should be 
utilized. Furthermore, the seed, which is minute, apparently is 
not used by the native population. It is probable that the report 
about the death of horses and cattle is the result of a confusion 
of ixbut with another plant, possibly another species of 
Euphorbia, which genus does have toxic species. 
Roys points out (7) that in ancient Maya medicine, in the 
‘‘Ritual of the Bacabs,’’ the Maya doctors believed in curing 
like with like: a vine that looked like a serpent was considered a 
fitting cure for snake bites; a yellow fruit was given as medicine 
to cure jaundice: red plants or fruits were prescribed for pa- 
tients who vomited blood or suffered from dysentery. Since 
ixbut contained an abundant, sticky, milky sap, which exuded 
from its broken stems and leaves, it was fitting that it may have 
been recommended to increase milk flow in nursing mothers. 
Erwin P. Dieseldorff, a German naturalist who settled in the 
Coban region of Guatemala during the latter part of the nine- 
teenth century, included ixbut in a booklet which he wrote on 
medicinal plants of the Alta Verapaz (10). He described it as a 
prevalent herb growing especially well in damp areas. The dark 
green ixbut leaves, containing a milky latex, should be cooked 
in water together with their tender branchlets to prepare an 
herbal tea, to be used as a galactagogue. 
In March 1971, the Instituto Indigenista Nacional de 
Guatemala published a bulletin (9) concerning popular 
medicine in rural areas of Guatemala. The medicinal plant 
ixbut is mentioned several times in this report, especially to 
increase lactation in postpartum nursing mothers. It was listed 
as a popular folk remedy in Coban and Chamelco, in the zone of 
Kekchi; and in San Cristobal Verapaz and Tamahu in the zone 
of Pocomchi. 
Usually it is recommended that the ixbut leaves be boiled in 
water: the liquid allowed to cool; sugar added, and the drink 
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