Jamaican herbs include indigenous species found nowhere else in the world and countless species brought to us by all the national groups who migrated or were brought here so we’ve got the lot. The examples I’m going to tell you about are demonstrative of this. Jamaica has woken up to the fact, if slowly, that it must safeguard and use this patrimony before the pharmaceutical conglomerates do it for us.
Are you visiting Jamaica? Well, once a place in the tropics is not your homeland, you are bound to come across 2 discomforts at least once and certainly we locals are afflicted from time to time as well.
1) Sunburn – slather on raw aloe vera (indigenous) gel. Any garden can grow it and any hotel employee can source you a bit. It keeps well even unrefrigerated so you can keep it in the hotel bathroom. Be careful of the stain. This plant has myriad other uses.
2) Diarrhoea – one teaspoon powdered bissy (ground, dried, kola nut brought from Africa) to one cup hot water up to 3 times per day for up to 3 days. See the doctor if no resolution after this time. This nut is known as Student Bisquit in Nigeria because it is a mild stimulant with caffeine but it is a detoxifer par excellence for any toxin from bacterial to other drug compounds.
3) Ganja (marijuana) brought to Jamaica from India or at least first regularly used by immigrant Indians. Jamaica has formulated 2 excellent prescription medicaments from this plant to treat glaucoma and coughs. It can be taken abroad in personal use quantities.
If you’d like more Jamaican and natural remedy tips and/or contacts, get in touch.