What I found was that even though Haiti has many native tropical plants that are used medicinally, quite a few of the same medicinal plants grow there that do in the Ozarks. Among Haitians, these practices are often related to cosmological/ritual numbers, and plant quantities used in the preparation of the remedies and the timing of administration follow these numbers (mainly three and seven; see also Weniger et al. ", She points to a green shrub with slightly oval leaves, This isJackna Bush.. Given the availability of medicinal plants in the surrounding environment, for some species at least, the use of fresh plants may present the advantage of preserving more active compounds and consequently enhancing their absorption and effectiveness. Voucher specimens were deposited at the CIMAC herbarium in Camagey (HACC). It is named in honor of its discover, Quassia the Surinam slave. Ozark people are surely not as impoverished as Haitians and they have better access to doctors and hospitals, but the majority of improvements to this area of Missouri have come within the past fifty years, and before that time, an old-fashioned way of curing one's ills was the tradition. Ososki AL, Balick MJ, Daly DC. Voucher specimens were deposited at the CIMAC herbarium in Camagey (HACC). Creole Language and Culture: Part of Cuba's Cultural Patrimony, Volpato G, Godnez D, Beyra A. Migration and ethnobotanical practices: The case of, Beyra A, Len M, Iglesias E, Ferrndiz D, Herrera R, Volpato G, Godinez D, Guimarais M, Alvarez R. Estudios etnobotnicos sobre plantas medicinales en la provincia de Camagey (Cuba). Among first generation migrants, twenty are originally from the cities of Les Cayes (Creole name Okai) and Port Salut (Creole name Posal), in the South of Haiti, whereas four lived in or near Port-au-Prince. Esquivel M, Hammer K: The Cuban homegarden 'conuco': a perspective environment for evolution and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources. He remembered and was able to impart that knowledge when he arrived in the Caribbean. The ethnic and cultural composition of contemporary Caribbean populations are the result of historical population movements through the slave trade and inter-island migration and of the legacy of the different ethnicities involved in the process of national identity formation. Haiti Medicine S.A. (HM) is a private company, which distributes top quality medicines and pharmaceutical products throughout Haiti. 1951, La Habana: Contribuciones Ocasionales del Museo de Historia Natural Colegio La Salle 10, P. Fernndez and Ca, Len H, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. The plant parts used include: leaves and aerial parts (53.5% as a whole), young leaves and shoots (9.7%), seeds and fruits (8.4% each), roots and tubers (7.7% as a whole), bark (4%), stems (3%), flowers (2.3%), rhizomes (1.3%), and resins and bulbs (0.6% each). Manage cookies/Do not sell my data we use in the preference centre. Canella winterana, Pimenta dioica) are added to preparations with stomachic purposes. and Bidens pilosa are added to treat congestions of the respiratory system, whereas 'hot' plants (e.g. Its worse than cod liver oil.. Even though Haitian and Peruvian ritual bathing traditions demonstrate many differences, we note several important themes of similarity: cleanses that involve moving (not stagnant) sacred waters; the application, and at times ingestion, of medicinal plants and flowers; and the act of being bathed by a spiritual elder to cultivate greater . y tienen faxones y fabas muy diversos de los nuestros " Origin, Evolution and Diversity of Cuban Plant Genetic Resources. I surmise that Quassia the Surinam had seen a plant similar to bitterwood in Africa. The resulting juice is then mixed with sugar and/or bee's honey and sometimes a small amount of rum, and drunk/eaten for problems of the respiratory system (asthma, catarrh), of the digestive system (stomach pains, intestinal parasites), and of the female reproductive apparatus (infertility) [19]. Ingestion is the preferred means to administer the remedies and accounts for 62% of all applications. Guanche J, Moreno D: Caidije. In this article we have presented the medicinal plants' knowledge of Haitians in Cuba as it is today, approximately 80 years after migration. Prez de la Riva J: Cuba y la migracin antillana. Datura is a powerful psychoactive plant, found in West Africa as well as other tropical areas and used there in ritual as well as criminal activities. only with the new moon [42]), where the remedy is ingested periodically throughout the year. Sister Francis is a religious woman whose backyard is filled with the healing bushes she grew up using in Jamaica. Colon, Sandra Hernandez. 1985, 497-509. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee or corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. Senna is the main ingredient in many modern day American laxatives. Traveling Plants and Cultures The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. following Len [28], Len and Alain [2931] and Alain [32, 33]. Otherwise, they live in hospices either in Camagey or in smaller cities and villages. It became quite a popular cure in the rural Southern states and its efficacy was even employed by the white slave owners and their families who needed a thorough worming. Below are the links to the authors original submitted files for images. Edited by Liz O. Baylen and Mike Benoist. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Some Ozark women do not choose to either. religious and traditional practices have merged with medicine. Down through the ages women have had to deal with menstrual cramps, excessive bleeding, water retention and unwanted pregnancy, just to name a few. Ingestion is the preferred means to administer the remedies and accounts for 62% of all applications. It would seem that to Haitian or Ozarkian, herbs are a comfort: they keep one grounded in the past and more importantly, they can be effective and inexpensive cures.. After realizing that a similarity existed between Haiti and mid-western America in terms of people gathering and using herbs, I wanted to discover if the two countries shared any common herbal remedies. They are used to treat rashes in children caused by measles and smallpox (e.g. An official website of the United States government. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee and corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. She belongs to an unofficial club of Caribbean folks around South Florida who pick bushes from other peoples front yards and the side of the road. We will present and discuss data about: 1) traditional remedies, their uses, and preparation, 2) traditional practices and beliefs related to these uses, and 3) changes and adaptation of Haitian medicinal knowledge with emigration and integration over time. The tea is bitter. Very, very, very bitter. Haitian's knowledge about plants seems to comprehend and deal with toxic allelochemicals through specific posological practices. leaves applied to the forehead to treat headache). Parentesco, inmigracin y comunidad Una visin del caso haitiano. Exceptions to this are the works of Brutus and Pierre-Noel, Len, and Weniger et al. CD ROM Atlas Etnogrficos de Cuba. [12], Nevet and de la Rosa [9], and Pedro [10]. In: Pieroni A, Price LL, editor. Traveling cultures and plants The ethnobiology and ethnopharmacy of migrations. Freshly picked mint from the backyard will ease the pain. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Therefore, herbs are the medicine of choice and necessity. Scull R, Miranda M, Infante RS. Boil and simmer until the water turns a murky greenish brown. I was fortunate to have three solid sources of information on herbs in Haiti: Laguerre's Afro-Caribbean Folk Medicine, Colon's Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants in the Province of Pedernales, Santo Domingo, and Jordan's Voodoo Medicine. Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are reported for 123 plant species used for medicinal purposes. My mom comes from a line of Haitian women herbalists from Gonaives, Haiti. 2001, 55: 9-13. The Province of Camagey is located between 2031'01" and 2229'00" latitude North and 7657'00" longitude West from Greenwich. Psidium guajava as an anthelmintic). Migrants confront a different sociocultural context and new environments where specific plants may no longer be available and traditional practices may come under pressure and therefore may be progressively adapted or abandoned [46]. Haitian with a dried fruit of Abelmoschus esculentus from his homegarden (G. Volpato). Knowledge, like slaves, was traded back and forth from slave to owner, owner to slave, Haiti to America, America to Haiti. [http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm], Len H: Flora de Cuba. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee or corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are reported for 123 plant species used for medicinal purposes. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. More than 50% of the mixtures are used to treat afflictions of the respiratory system. Echinacea can be taken several times a day, as advised by an herbalist. 2004, 58: 381-395. (Laguerre, 68) By a mental process Laguerre terms cognitive mapping, Haitians seem to have a highly developed instinctual sense of their bodies, their circulatory systems particularly. Herbal mixtures used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey. More than half of the plant species reported in that study are also reported in the current study of Haitian immigrants and their descendants. We aim to make significant improvements in the health of the Haitian population while keeping our company strong. In the Ozarks sarsaparilla tea is also widely used for its purifying properties.. Another blood purifier that is a very common remedy both in Ozarkia and Haiti, is catnip or catmint. It is used for general hygiene and curing excessive discharges. Today's Cubans rely for food and medicine on a mixed culture that draws upon wisdom originating mainly from Indian, African, Spanish, and Antillean ethnic groups [1-5]. Conversely, Justicia pectoralis, reported by Haitians only as a component of one mixture, is widely used and reported by Cubans for its sedative effects [15,19]. Some touristic infrastructures (notably in Camagey city and Santa Luca beach) have been developed in the last decade [26]. Traditional Haitian medicine retained an important role in healthcare and cultural practices soon after immigration, when Haitian livelihoods were based on work in the sugarcane fields, on the surrounding environment, and on their knowledge about that environment. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine California Privacy Statement, Juice extraction is mostly used for green parts and is preferred over decoction and infusion for topical applications. Some locals say that Voodoo succeeds where modern medicine can't, but that the religion is often misunderstood. Other medicinal uses reported in this study and also commonly found in the Cuban pharmacopoeia include the use of the aerial parts of Cissus verticillata for respiratory problems, of the young fruit of Cocos nucifera and the leaves of Portulaca oleracea for intestinal parasites, of the bark and the leaves of Mangifera indica for gastrointestinal and respiratory problems respectively. New York: Paragon, 1989. FURCY, HAITI - About an hour's drive from Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, residents of Furcy, a cool, lush, agricultural community high up in the mountains, say they are used to dealing with . Consequently, there is little data in the literature about the ethnobotanical knowledge and practices of Haitians in Cuba, with the exception of Volpato et al. Camagey, La Habana). In the Caribbean, however, the herbal bath carries an even holier association as a major component of Haitian Voudou (frequently westernized as "Voodoo"). "You know the herb is the healing of the nation," she said. Immigration was a key factor in the plans for economic reconstruction after the War of Independence against Spain, and West Indians entered Cuba as cheap labour required to cut sugarcane [8]. GV drafted the manuscript. To gain further insights, we qualitatively compared our results with those reported in other Cuban ethnobotanical studies [18,19,42,49] and especially with the work of Beyra et al. These mixtures can be more or less complex, ranging from a concoction of two plants to complex preparations with different species. During the decades after emigration, the original Haitian ethnomedicinal knowledge progressively changed and adapted to the new environment, maintaining cultivation and use of important medicinal plants, incorporating plants and uses from the host Cuban culture, and diffusing specific plant uses to Cubans in contact with Haitian communities. They observe nuances in the condition of their blood that are almost unheard of in white Anglo folk pharmacopoeia. To locate the respondents, we first focused on the areas in the province where historical and oral records indicate the presence of Haitian communities (e.g. Additional file 1: Medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Dried cerassee for sale at Grace Seafood in Miami Gardens. Haitian migrants played an important role shaping Cuban culture and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. Haitian immigrants and their descendants mainly decoct or infuse aerial parts and ingest them, but medicinal baths are also relevant. Springer Nature. Among the shared ethnobotanical practices is also the preparation of miel de gira with the pulp of the fruit of Crescentia cujete. A fresh pot of cerasee or asosi tea, a traditional plant used across the Caribbean for all ailments. Generally, decoction is used for hard and ligneous parts, including coriaceous leaves, while infusion is used only for soft leaves and shoots, especially from aromatic plants (e.g. GV drafted the manuscript. 2001, Guantnamo, Cuba: Editorial el mar y la montaa, Nevet M, De la Rosa AS: Kote ou bouke m pote. PubMed PubMed The practice of using herbal baths both as physical and spiritual medicine is similar to other ethnic groups [37, 38]; as well, baths are very important in general in traditional health systems based on Afro-American religions [39], and their use among Haitians can be regarded at the same time as magical, spiritual, and medicinal. Everyone calls Francis Sister Francis because shes a respected elder. (Kloss, 215) In Jordan's research on Voodoo medicine, he places more emphasis, however, on the calming properties of catnip, rather than purgative. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 Haitians (21 women and 13 men) whose ages ranged from 45 to 102 years (mean age 68), in the following communities: Central Brasil, Jiqu, Aguacate, Esmeralda, Antn, Batey Varela (Antn), San Serapio, Caidije, La Jagua, Macuto 2, Camagey (neighbourhoods of Puerto Prncipe, Bellavista, Florat, and La Guernica). Vetiver, Chrysopogon zizanioides, is a perennial grass native to India, where it is known as khus or the oil of tranquility, but it is produced mainly in Haiti, Java, and Runion. Medicinal plants and cultural variation across Dominican Rural, Urban, and Transnational Landscapes. 1 During the immense and ongoing recovery effort, individuals and organized groups have been incorporating natural and traditional medicine into their activities. And that's it. DG, AB, and AB performed botanical analysis and species identification. Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. Although medicinal uses of these plants are not absent from the Cuban pharmacopoeia, they may in some cases be restricted to Haitian descendants and to Cubans who have been influenced by the migrants' culture. The magic . Often this practice is associated with a ritual acknowledgement of the plant and its power, by leaving a coin in the place where leaves have been collected, or by adding a coin to the bath and later leaving it at road crossing. 10.1016/0378-8741(86)90070-X. This use of cricket's legs has been also reported by Hernndez and Volpato [19] in their article about the medicinal mixtures of Eastern Cuba, as well as by Seoane [16] in his treatise on Cuban medical folklore. Kloss describes it as "good in all female troubles, will increase menstrual flow much better than quinine for the purposes for which quinine is used" (323). Its not even like cod liver oil. Informants reported using 123 plant species belonging to 112 genera in 63 families. In: Hammer K, Esquivel M, Knpffer H, editor. Juice extraction is mostly used for green parts and is preferred over decoction and infusion for topical applications. Although its roots grow downwards, the plant itself can grow up to 1.5 meters high, with long and thin leaves and brownish/golden flowers. Because of the importation of workers for plantation slavery, a vast body of knowledge departed Africa for the New World. Rowe and Francis are both Jamaican. Plantas medicinales de uso tradicional en Pinar del Ro. Comisin Nacional de Nombres Geogrficos: Diccionario Geogrfico de Cuba. Otherwise, they live in hospices either in Camagey or in smaller cities and villages. Au DT, Wu J, Jiang Z, Chen H, Lu G, Zhao Z: Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Hakka in Guangdong, China. The most frequently used species are Chenopodium ambrosioides, Cissus verticillata, Cocos nucifera, Crescentia cujete, Cymbopogon citratus, Lippia alba, Momordica charantia, Pimenta dioica, Portulaca oleracea, Psidium guajava, and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. Almost half of the plants reported in this study are not reported in Beyra et al. Chenopodium ambrosioides, Momordica charantia) are used to treat intestinal parasites. This video showcases plants used for post labor bath and tea as Haitian mother explains the importance of traditional medicine. 1982, 6: 67-84. All of the slaves traded their expertise in healing because of the plantation milieu and dire necessity in staying alive. Miel de gira is considered as a panacea, and its use is apparently widespread among Cuban and Cuban-Haitian populations as a preventive and a remedy, when it is taken in small spoons in doses of from one to five spoons per day [16]. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Mixtures (components, parts used, preparation and means of use) are given in Table 1, whereas the presence of species in mixtures is reported in Additional file 1. About 40% of the total population of the province lives in the city of Camagey; almost 200,000 people live in rural areas. Some 22 herbal mixtures are reported, including formulas for a preparation obtained using the fruit of Crescentia cujete. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, (Laguerre, 68) In the Ozarks catnip tea administered to babies quiets colic and can even be used to stop convulsions. Haitian ethnobotanical practices related to traditional posology often follow cosmological/ritual numbers, both for plant quantities and timing of administration. 1957, La Habana: Contribuciones Ocasionales del Museo de Historia Natural Colegio La Salle 10, P. Fernndez and Ca, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. Original music by Dan Powell and . Nowadays Haitians are mostly integrated into mainstream Cuban society, although many of them maintain a small-scale farming and livestock production as a base for their livelihoods. The continuous ingestion of low doses of the allelochemicals in these species may be an effective means to prevent massive parasite infestations, especially in children [43]. So, Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus often appear in the corpus of ethnobotanical knowledge of African origin in Cuba [14, 51], and Erythroxylum havanense and Chiococca alba are among the main ingredients of multi-herbal preparations used as a medicinal remedy in Eastern Cuba as well as a spiritual remedy in Afro-Cuban religions [19, 34]. 1964, La Habana: Asociacin de Estudiantes de Ciencias Biolgicas, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. 1953, La Habana: Contribuciones Ocasionales del Museo de Historia Natural Colegio La Salle 10, P. Fernndez and Ca, Len H, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. Although they are also reported in Beyra et al. Among the peoples of African origin who settled in Cuba throughout the centuries, Haitians played an important role shaping Cuban culture and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. The research led to the identification of 123 different plant species used for medicinal purposes by Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey. Anyone who has seen a cat lolling around blissfully on a pile of catnip knows that this herb can produce a definite reaction.. Creole is the second most spoken language in the Province of Camagey, after Spanish. Just one of the high notes from Seraphic Fire's first 20 years, Judy Blume, on top of the world (and her Key West bookstore), Adrienne Kennedy akennedy@wlrn.org (305)-995-2256, FRIENDS OF WLRN, INC. AS MEDIA MANAGER OF WLRN PUBLIC MEDIA. 2005, 102: 69-88. Once in the field, we asked for the help of the local government officers responsible for health (doctors or nurses from the local hospital) to determine whether there were any elderly Haitians living in the locality and precisely where. Volpato G, Godnez D. Medicinal foods in Cuba: Promoting health in the household. The practice of using herbal baths both as physical and spiritual medicine is similar to other ethnic groups [37,38]; as well, baths are very important in general in traditional health systems based on Afro-American religions [39], and their use among Haitians can be regarded at the same time as magical, spiritual, and medicinal. 1) and generally sold for US$1.50 to $2.50. This use of cricket's legs has been also reported by Hernndez and Volpato [19] in their article about the medicinal mixtures of Eastern Cuba, as well as by Seoane [16] in his treatise on Cuban medical folklore. I used Kloss's Back to Eden and Santillo's Natural Healing with Herbs for my American source books. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, http://www.afrocubaweb.com/haiticuba.htm#creole, http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm, decoction of three shoots and three roots. Camagey is the largest province in Cuba, at 15,615 km2, corresponding to 14.3% of the nation's territory. She learned from her mother, who learned from her mother, who learned from her mother and so on. Macia M, Garcia E, Vidaurre PJ. Gabriele Volpato. DG, AB, and AB performed botanical analysis and species identification. To some, the wild green plant with five point leaves may be just an annoying weed, but to many in South Floridas Caribbean community Jamaicans, Bahamians,Trinidadians, Haitians -- its the "it" plant for just about every ailment. [15]. Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, Eds: Traveling Plants and Cultures. For most Haitian migrants, given their poverty, there was no possibility to make trips back to Haiti to procure remedies that were not available in the new environment. Those who arrived in the 1940s came either by plane or boat, although they were migrating mostly for the same reasons. New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. government site. She is picking cerasee to use in a bush bath for a rash. One home remedy that can be made from the plants and natural herbs in your herb garden is a frustration pain reliever called Echinacea. Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are . Some of its benefits include antitumor effects, nerve cell protection, anxiety- and . Some locals say that Voodoo succeeds where modern . Inventaire ethnopharmacologique. Especially over the last decade, Haitians in Cuba have begun to rediscover their roots and revitalize their traditional culture by forming Haitian associations and groups and celebrating festivals and other events. Here Kloss seems to be hinting in his 1939 publication that vervain can be used to cause abortion. The plants cited were photographed, collected with the informants during the interviews, and identified by authors (D.G., A.B., A.B.) The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Often this practice is associated with a ritual acknowledgement of the plant and its power, by leaving a coin in the place where leaves have been collected, or by adding a coin to the bath and later leaving it at road crossing. Baths are also prepared to rid people of the 'bad' and the 'evil eye', a practice known in Afro-Cuban religions as despojo [34, 35], mainly using species such as Vitex trifolia, Trichilia glabra, Alpinia speciosa, Allophyllus cominia. Consuming 2 or three Echinacea pills two times a day can relieve serious frustrations and also other sorts of migraines. The plant pops up all over South Florida, especially when it rains. GV and DG conceived and designed the research. Voodoo, a traditional religion, is widely known for this hybrid form of care. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. There are many varieties such as peppermint, spearmint, lemonmint and horsemint. around Central Brasil, Minas in the North of the Province and Central Haiti in the South). When first beginning to study Haiti, I was intrigued to learn that leaf-doctoring, or herbal cures, are an integral part of many Haitians' health care regimens. The Haitian herbalist and her Ozark counterpart share a similarity: they both gather and use herbs because of necessity. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. The data presented in this paper are derived from a wider study that was conducted on the ethnobiological knowledge of Haitian people living in the Province of Camagey. Of these, about three quarters were reported with the same medicinal uses, and the remaining quarter with different uses. Viladrich A. Special thanks are due to all of the Haitian respondents and their families for their kindness and for agreeing to share their knowledge with us, with oral consent being provided for figure figure2;2; to the members of the Asociacin de Haitianos de Camagey; to Patricia Howard for her commentaries and suggestions. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal Hernndez J: Uso popular de plantas con fines medicinales. the use of Dichrostachys cinerea as antidiarrhoeic) or incomplete imitation of local practices.

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