Living in the Caribbean can be quite a beautiful experience and the glorious weather adds to its natural sparkling beauty. While the weather isn’t the only attribute, it does lend itself in many aspects. One of those aspects is aiding in the growth of unique and special plants as well as various other types of vegetation only found in these parts of the world. Plants have been used for the cures of several ailments and illnesses for many years, but has earned world wide respect more recently.

A simple pleasure of island life is being able to harvest your fruits from trees grown in your backyard with your very own hands. The leaves and barks from these trees and other plants serve additional purposes. Whether it’s used for building houses, making cooking utensils, or as cleaning products, a commonly known use has been for curing various types of sicknesses effectively.

Since the rain forests are laden with the exotic plant life, researchers continue to find an abundance of other plants with special attributes. So it is only fitting that people living in the Caribbean countries who have been using these remedies for decades share their secret cures with the world.

It wasn’t surprising for me to learn that in Guyana, one can discover almost 500 different types of healing herbs. Many of these are rare because their existence depends on environment and weather. The rain forests of South America provides the special components needed.

As children, my sibling and I were always climbing trees, exploring places and having backyard cookouts. But somehow, these activities always ended with someone getting hurt. I remember accidents consisting of cuts, burns, scrapes and large bruises being treated by some plant life for healing purposes. This practice viewed as primitive to many was truly a way of life for us. More importantly, the end result never disappointed.

One of my most memorable incidents happened when I was just four years old. Frolicking with my friends in the school yard, while chanting a song, I did not notice some broken glass on the ground in a restricted area. And after I fell and cut my knees, I was taken to the emergency room. I received a tetanus shot and my wounds were cleaned and bandaged. Upon my arrival home, my Mother promptly removed my bandages, applied a bunch of grounded up “Fit Weed, Ants Bush, and White Cleary", tied securely by a piece of cloth. The very next day I witnessed a huge difference when my Mom removed the bandages to replace a fresh blend of these herbs. Within a couple of days, I was good to go, proving what a wonderful doctor my Mom was by skipping around in my back yard very carefully.

I must say though I did not adore her “Sweet Broom Teas,” and her “Daisy Teas,” it sure helped in getting rid of our colds. My least favorite was a monthly ritual to wash our bodies with a brew of steamed Neem Bush extract, and sip some of the same for internal cleansing and purification. This was really bad, but my Mom swore by it, and we were never sick, and I mean NEVER.

So many more herbs were used over the years, I wish I had paid more attention. However, my Mom is still happy answer all of my questions and tell me of others that kept us in ship shape. Those traditions have now become a mainstay in my own household for my family, except for the sip of Neem Brew. For any of these herbs, look for them at West Indian markets, organic, and specialty shops, as well as health food stores and some farmers markets.

For a Caribbean food website, please click on the related link below.