E. L. Peay notes that the Maya are reported to have great skill with their treatment of illnesses with herbs. Many herbs used by the ancient Maya are listed in the United States Pharmacopeia. [E. L. Peay, The Lands of Zarahemla: Nephi's Land of Promise, p. 91] [See the commentary on Alma 62:52]
“Because of the Excellent Qualities of the Many Plants and Roots”
Hugh Nibley notes that we have an extremely interesting verse here in Alma 46:40:
And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land--but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate--
It says by nature of the climate there were certain diseases, especially fevers, in the land. they were able to get the best of them by many plants and roots. You notice how desperately we are searching in the jungles of Central and South America for roots. We know there are thousands of possible remedies that are disappearing every day. They say every fifteen seconds [another] species of plant disappears forever the way they are cutting down those forests there at tremendous rates to make grazing land for MacDonalds. That's where the meat goes, incidentally. But notice how the Book of Mormon is ahead here with fevers, etc. the plants and roots which God had prepared could conquer the fevers. They were able to control fevers because of the very good remedies they had from these tropical plants. Quinine wasn't discovered until 1840. Nobody knew that the quinine bark would cure these fevers until then. They didn't know what could cure them. They didn't know about mosquitoes or anything else. Again, here we have a wonderful insight. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 3, p. 65]
Alma 46:40 Diseases to which men were subject ([Illustration]): Several types of disease are depicted on ancient figurines. This one showing an ulcerous growth on the face dates before 600 B.C., but no doubt the condition continued into later times. John Sorenson notes that Mesoamericans treated ailments mainly through herbal remedies and ritual healing at the hands of several sorts of curers. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, pp. 84, 85]