The flowers are boiled in water and sweetened with honey. On the material level, objects and rituals are used to get the desired effetcs. This happens because all persons, animals and certain objects can either emit or absorb vibrating energy. The energy can be positive or negative and can cause happiness or sadness, good or evil, good luck or bad luck. The negative forces can affect a person physically, mentally or socially.
Curanderos use material objects to manipulate the vibrations and restore the patients to health.
The spiritual level of folk healing requires the curandero to enter into a trance and act as a medium for benevolent spirits to communicate with the patients. On the mental level the healers learn how to channel their mental energy and use it to heal. In this level, illness can be caused, diagnosed and cured by spiritual forces called corrientes espirituales . While curanderismo has been around for centuries, it is still a much stigmatized practice by the modern medical, religious and educational institutions. Curanderos may infact simply be robbing the money of their patients or allowing their patient's health to further deteriorate.