In Oaxaca with its subtropical coast and more temperate agricultural zones of the valleys, there is a particularly abundant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. And the local juice bars offer an extraordinary selection of ingredients.
Many of the fruits you'll see are familiar enough: oranges, bananas (at least a half-dozen varieties), tangerines, pineapple, limes, papaya and mangoes.
You may even be able to identify some of the more exotic tropical fruits such as guayaba, chirimoya, mamey, zapote, tuna and anonas. But I bet you don't know what a choconoxtli or a tejocote is.
Look closer and you'll also see jars holding beetroot, cucumber, celery, nopalito cactus, watercress, parsley, aloe vera, basil and other herbs and roots that are unrecognizable and unpronounceable.
That's because the juguería is more than a refreshment stand; for many Mexicans it is also a healthcare provider, dispensing alternative medicine, preventative and curative.
Many fruits and veggies are high in vitamin C, Selenium and vitamin E, all substances thought to be antioxidants, which slow down the degenerative process in the body. Fresh fruits and raw vegetables also contain pigments and enzymes, such as carotenes and antociaines, believed to have antibacterial and antiviral properties.
Some vegetable enzymes work with the body's natural intestinal enzymes to reduce excess fats and proteins. Papaya and pineapple are thought to be particularly helpful as digestive aids.
It's obviously not an exact science; each juice place has its variations and specialities. But as Hippocrates insisted, they do no harm. How bad can fresh and natural products be?
So here's some of what you can try for whatever ails you:
Hangover
Beets, celery, pineapple banana and a shot of sherry.
General Tonic
Verde (Green) good for the skin and weight loss: orange, pineapple,
celery, aloe, nopal, and chaya (an all-purpose medicinal plant).
Vampira (Vampire)
Celery, beet, carrot, orange and banana.
Colds
Oranges, carrots, guayaba, lime, honey or oranges, carrots, pineapple, cucumber and nopal.
Weight Loss
Grapefruit, nopal choconoxtli (a small hard tuna -- cactus fruit), celery.
Skin Problems
Carrots, spinach, lettuce, asparagus
Allergies
carrot, turnip, artichoke, celery, potato.
Anemia
Watercress, radishes, spinach, carrot, fennel, turnip.
Colitis
lime, apple, carrot, cucumber, papaya.