Health guru teaches herbal use at bookstore

Food and herbal health enthusiasts took in the teachings of "Grandfather Cachura" Thursday at Kennedy Bookstore in Carson City.

Cachura, a Yaqui shaman referred to in novelist Carlos Casteneda's series of books about Don Juan, talked to a crowd of 25 about the physical effects of herbs.

He answered questions about herbal remedies for specific ailments and the proper doses and indications.

"Ginseng is very good for the body and for the mind," Cachura said with the aid of a translator. "The red root is the best."

The shaman's advice ranged from general colonic health to specific treatments for ailments like deteriorating vision, cancers and diabetes.

"There's a plant for every sickness," he said. Cachura said he knows of 4,000 plants and their properties.

Cachura also discussed potential negative effects of plant and herbal misuse.

"Everything is toxic," he said. "There is nothing that isn't toxic - but a little bit won't kill you.

"That's why we get cancer in our stomachs, because we don't purify ourselves. This is why we have trouble with our colon."

The event, named the Stardoves Grand Planetary Alignment Tour, cost $22 for the day. Bernyce Barlow, author of "Sacred Sites of the West," spoke in the morning.