haitian plants medicine
Camagey is the largest province in Cuba, at 15,615 km2, corresponding to 14.3% of the nation's territory. But in Haiti, the purifying qualities of sarsaparilla are held to be more important because of the emphasis Haitians place on the role of blood in the body. And it is precisely that useful function and the needs it fulfils that keep herbal healing alive and well in both Haiti and the Ozarks. Traveling Plants and Cultures The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. The present investigation shows that Haitian migrants and their descendants living in the Province of Camagey (Cuba) have medicinal uses for 123 plant species belonging to 112 genera in 63 families. [12], Nevet and de la Rosa [9], and Pedro [10]. 2004, 58: 381-395. Haitian's knowledge about plants seems to comprehend and deal with toxic allelochemicals through specific posological practices. Boletn de Resea de Plantas Medicinales. leaves applied to the forehead to treat headache). Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. CD ROM Atlas Etnogrficos de Cuba. 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. 1988, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba: Editorial Oriente, James J, Millet J, Alarcn A: El Vod en Cuba. In Michel Laguerre's book he tells of a Haitian woman who makes herself ill by eating the head of a turkey. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. People like St. Fort, who grew up in Haiti, know to keep an eye out for the trusted plant. Although no census of Haitians (residents or descendants) in Cuba has been done to date, we can roughly estimate the number of Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey at about 50,000 or 67% of the population. Haitian Plants Medicine. Code of ethics of the American Anthropological Association. Creole is the second most spoken language in the Province of Camagey, after Spanish. 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. Herbal mixtures used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey. But because of the recent wet weather, freshcerasee is practically everywhere wrapping itself around traffic signs near I-95 and across fences. 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. News reports immediately following the disaster documented displaced Haitians sitting . When Rowe told Sister Francis she'd been breaking out in small rashes, Sister Francis said to come by for some cerasee leaves to use in a bush bath. 1966, 1: 25-39. Volpato G, Ahmadi Emhamed A, Lamin Saleh SM, Broglia A, Di Lello S: Procurement of traditional remedies and transmission of medicinal knowledge among Sahrawi people displaced in Southwestern Algerian refugee camps. Before Ed. Revealing Latinos' plant-healing knowledge and practices in New York City. She learned from her mother, who learned from her mother, who learned from her mother and so on. ", She points to a green shrub with slightly oval leaves, This isJackna Bush.. Revista Cubana de Alimentacin y Nutricin. a Part(s) used: ap, aerial part; ba, bark; bu: bulb; ep, fruit epicarp; fl, flowers; fr, fruits; ft, flowering tops; la, latex; le, leaves; ls, leaf stalks; re, resin; rh, rhizome; ro, root/tuber; se, seeds; sg, stigma; sh, shoots; st, stems; uf, unripe fruits; wh, young whorls; wo, wood; wp, whole plant. Accessibility The hairs of the fruit of this plant contain formic acid and mucunain, which are so toxic that they were used as homicidal poisons in Africa [40,41]. (Kloss, 300; Laguerre, 30). All of the mints have the effect of soothing indigestion and quieting nausea. He deduced that the bark and wood of the simarouba excelsa plant were an excellent tonic and febrifuge (that which acts to expel intestinal worms from the system). Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Haitian empirical medicine sprang from both European (16th to 19th century) and African (especially voodoo) traditional therapies. 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. Canella winterana, Pimenta dioica) are added to preparations with stomachic purposes. But quinine is a chemical salt that can cause violent reactions, unlike gentle verbena. Specifically, I was looking for ginseng and goldenseal, both highly sought for their curative properties. More than half of the plant species reported in that study are also reported in the current study of Haitian immigrants and their descendants. One home remedy that can be made from the plants and natural herbs in your herb garden is a frustration pain reliever called Echinacea. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Uses of medicinal plants by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, http://www.afrocubaweb.com/haiticuba.htm#creole, http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0. The use of medicinal herbs is highly developed. The site is secure. only with the new moon [42]), where the remedy is ingested periodically throughout the year. This information on herbs was developed by BHLP faculty members and consultants as an attempt to begin educating conventional health care practitioners about the use of herbs and supplements by ethnic groups in Boston. 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. Therefore, a medical syncretism of sorts must have occurred. Sour orange leaves can fix that. In this context, traditional ethnobotanical practices are sometimes reconstituted as part of Haitian culture [14]. Comisin Nacional de Nombres Geogrficos: Diccionario Geogrfico de Cuba. In contrast, the use of the same species with different medicinal purposes may be the result of migrant's adoption of some species through experimentation with plants found in the new environment (e.g. [2125]. Remedies prepared by heating plant parts in fire (four per cent) are mostly used for topical applications (e.g. 1987, South Hadley, MA: Bergin and Garvey Publishers. Terms and Conditions, Quassia was thought to have been a leaf healer in Surinam before being brought to Haiti. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Camagey, La Habana). Volpato, G., Godnez, D., Beyra, A. et al. Due to its mostly flat territory, the Province of Camagey historically had an economy primarily based on cattle and sugarcane, as well as small-scale farming. Rituality based on 'sacred' numbers represents, in these cases, a simple way of memorizing the proper dose to be used, as well as a contribution to the efficacy of the remedy by calling upon supernatural forces and entities related to those numbers. 1974, La Habana: Instituto Cubano del Libro. Respondents in the city of Camagey were located thanks to the local Haitian Association. Williams. PubMed dicinal plants utilized in the plain regions. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. Ingestion is the preferred means to administer the remedies and accounts for 62% of all applications. (Colon, 154).. We identified about twenty species more or less currently used by the women . The plant . Additional file 1 Medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba.Inventory of medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. 10.1007/BF00052650. Calle Cisneros No. Weniger B, Haag-Berrurier M, Anton R. Plants of Haiti used as antifertility agents. "y tienen faxones y fabas muy diversos de los nuestros" Origin, Evolution and Diversity of Cuban Plant Genetic Resources. There are many varieties such as peppermint, spearmint, lemonmint and horsemint. A 2017 World Bank report revealed that Haiti's health sector is underfunded, with public spending per capita totaling $13 per year. Traveling Plants and Cultures The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 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. Weniger B, Rouzier M, Daguilh R, Henrys D, Henrys JH, Anton R: La medecine populaire dans le Plateau Central d'Haiti. Different plant species are added to the basic preparation according to the specific medicinal purpose for which it is prepared: for example, Cissus spp. Shes 81. 2000, La Habana, Cuba: Centro de Antropologa-CEISIC-Centro Juan Marinello, Espronceda ME: Parentesco, inmigracin y comunidad. Two main stores are situated in North Montreal and offer a choice of several dozen Haitian medicinal plants, dried and packaged in small plastic bags (Fig. Since Haitians have very limited access to the attentions of doctors and modern medicine when ill, their reliance on leaf-doctoring is essential to remedying their sicknesses and maintaining a state of good health. Different plant species are added to the basic preparation according to the specific medicinal purpose for which it is prepared: for example, Cissus spp. It formed part of the foundation for Herbal Tours, which began in April 2004, and are day-long postgraduate . Shes picking up bush to make some kind of remedy. . Throughout the field study, the ethical guidelines adopted by the American Anthropological Association [27] were followed. [15]. They are used to treat rashes in children caused by measles and smallpox (e.g. During the period 19001930, more than half a million Haitians entered the country legally or illegally [6,7]. People who migrated in the 1920s generally sailed to eastern Cuba looking for jobs on the sugarcane plantations to improve their living conditions and support their families in Haiti. 2005, Managua & Santo Domingo: TRAMIL, 2. Uses of medicinal plants by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Ethnobotanical knowledge is dynamic for any given culture and it changes as it is transferred and appropriated by people who are adapting to new environments [44, 45]. Rowe said growing up in Jamaica people used to tell pregnant women that if they wanted their babies to be born with pretty brown skin, they should drink cerasee. Lee RA, Balick MJ, Ling DL, Sohl F, Brosi BJ, Raynor W. Cultural dynamism and change An example from the Federated states of Micronesia. 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. Una visin del caso haitiano. Momordica charantia, Solanum americanum and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis are among those species most cited by Haitians in this study. Momordica charantia, Solanum americanum and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis are among those species most cited by Haitians in this study. Haitian ethnobotanical practices related to traditional posology often follow cosmological/ritual numbers, both for plant quantities and timing of administration. Prez de la Riva J: Cuba y la migracin antillana. Interviews were conducted in Spanish after first explaining the aims of the study. We are a Social Impact (SI) company; we don't focus in making excessive profits, but we primarily . Map of Cuba with the Province of Camagey. 1CERES Research School, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, NL-6706 Wageningen, the Netherlands, 2CIMAC, Centro de Investigaciones de Medio Ambiente de Camagey, Cuba. 1959, Port-au-Prince: Imprimeries de L'etat, Pierre-Noel AV: Les plantes et legume d'Haiti qui guerrissent. Fieldwork was carried out from December 2002March 2003 and from FebruaryJuly 2004. from therapeutic activities pertaining to this cult are of the same kind as those encountered in the practice of Modern Medicine. Calle Cisneros No. Correspondence to 2006, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 213-235. Haitian immigrants and their descendants mainly decoct or infuse aerial parts and ingest them, but medicinal baths are also relevant. In my research, I discovered three herbs that are used for female problems both in Haiti and Ozarkia. A close-up of the cerasee bouquet Audre Rowe plans to use as a topical treatment for a rash. Cerasse vine intertwined with other plants growing in Cacheta Francis' North Miami Beach backyard. Most Haitians were illiterate, crowded into barracks (barracones), paid a miserable salary, and compelled to hand over their savings to reimburse the cost of their passage [7, 9]. Most of those interviewed are elderly people living in remote rural areas; they often live alone since, because of their age, their husbands and wives have passed away and their children, if any, have migrated mainly to major Cuban cities (e.g. Seoane J: El Folclor Mdico de Cuba. New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. Haitian with a dried fruit of Abelmoschus esculentus from his homegarden (G. Volpato). Some touristic infrastructures (notably in Camagey city and Santa Luca beach) have been developed in the last decade [26]. Due to its mostly flat territory, the Province of Camagey historically had an economy primarily based on cattle and sugarcane, as well as small-scale farming. Most of those interviewed are elderly people living in remote rural areas; they often live alone since, because of their age, their husbands and wives have passed away and their children, if any, have migrated mainly to major Cuban cities (e.g. It is named in honor of its discover, Quassia the Surinam slave. Its worse than cod liver oil.. Have a sore throat? A few other remedies of non-vegetal origin were also reported. About 75% of the inhabitants live in urban areas, where Camagey, Florida and Nuevitas are the major cities. Some Ozark women do not choose to either. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Of these, about three quarters were reported with the same medicinal uses, and the remaining quarter with different uses. Fieldwork was carried out from December 2002March 2003 and from FebruaryJuly 2004. the use of Dichrostachys cinerea as antidiarrhoeic) or incomplete imitation of local practices. Haitian immigrants and their descendants mainly decoct or infuse aerial parts and ingest them, but medicinal baths are also relevant. statement and Scull R, Miranda M, Infante RS: Plantas medicinales de uso tradicional en Pinar del Ro. Primero Simposio de Botnica; La Habana. About 75% of the inhabitants live in urban areas, where Camagey, Florida and Nuevitas are the major cities. Most Haitians were illiterate, crowded into barracks (barracones), paid a miserable salary, and compelled to hand over their savings to reimburse the cost of their passage [7,9]. Lee RA, Balick MJ, Ling DL, Sohl F, Brosi BJ, Raynor W: Cultural dynamism and change An example from the Federated states of Micronesia. And that's it. Also, in the anthelmintic use of Chenopodium ambrosioides, we can distinguish a posology for acute episodes (three buds every day before breakfast for three or seven days), and a posology for chronic infection (e.g. Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. Volpato G, Godnez D: Ethnobotany of Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment. Among the Haitians interviewed, 21 migrated to Cuba between 19131926, ten are the offspring of Haitian couples who entered Cuba during the same period, and three more left Haiti between 19461954. When a person thinks of sarsaparilla, what most often comes to mind is probably an old-fashioned sudsy drink not unlike root beer. More than half of the plant species reported in that study are also reported in the current study of Haitian immigrants and their descendants. This is where I come when Im sick and I really need some old-time herbs, she said. This lapse of time is long enough to permit insights to be drawn regarding the process of transformation and adaptation of ethnomedicinal knowledge after migration and in the ways in which the progressive integration of migrants in the host culture modifies this knowledge. It is known in both locales as a blood purifier or that which promotes a cleaning action of the liver, kidneys, spleen and bowels. This paper focuses on traditional medicinal plant uses of Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Baths are the second more important category of means of application at almost 16% of the total. GV and DG conceived and designed the research. Traveling cultures and plants The ethnobiology and ethnopharmacy of migrations. Once they found themselves in Cuba, the main strategies that Haitian migrants used to maintain their ethnomedicinal practices depended principally on the floristic similarity between Haiti and Cuba (i.e. The research project has been funded by a grant to Gabriele Volpato from the CERES Programme for Innovative PhD Research at Wageningen University (CEPIP-W). A preliminary study on Haitian plant use revealed that Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae), common name "zorange si" was utilized in a wide variety of ways. Bidens pilosa, Cymbopogon citratus, Majorana hortensis, Ocimum spp.). In this article we have presented the medicinal plants' knowledge of Haitians in Cuba as it is today, approximately 80 years after migration. most plants used in Haiti were also available in Cuba), and to the cultivation of medicinal plants in the new environment. Among those plants with shared uses are species that are widely used in Cuban pharmacopoeia such as Bidens pilosa, Boldoa purpuracens, Phyla scaberrima, Pluchea carolinensis, and Rheedia aristata, whose medicinal uses may have partly been adopted by migrants, as well as medicinal plants that are common to the Caribbean pharmacopoeia whose use Haitians and Cubans shared prior to migration: examples include the use of Cecropia schrebiana as an anticatarrhal; of Carica papaya, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Psidium guajava to treat intestinal parasites; of Lepidium virginicum as a carminative and diuretic; and of Zingiber officinale to treat colds, catarrh, and rheumatic pains. About 40% of the total population of the province lives in the city of Camagey; almost 200,000 people live in rural areas. The last group of herbs I would like to comment on are three that could be called "female herbs". Remedies prepared by heating plant parts in fire (four per cent) are mostly used for topical applications (e.g. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. Hernndez J. Uso popular de plantas con fines medicinales. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. Besides single medicinal plants, informants also reported 22 herbal mixtures that are mostly prepared as a concoction of plants or plant parts and ingested. 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]. A fresh pot of cerasee or asosi tea, a traditional plant used across the Caribbean for all ailments. Often performed during the new year and around holidays, voudou baths are designed to bestow various blessings from God: anything from better cash flow to improved health or a new baby. National Library of Medicine Herbal Index. The Province is inhabited by some 780,000 people, or seven per cent of the Cuban population. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. 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]. 1982, 6: 67-84. Au DT, Wu J, Jiang Z, Chen H, Lu G, Zhao Z. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Hakka in Guangdong, China. Ethnomedicinal knowledge of Haitian immigrants in Cuba presents no exception [14]. The Province is inhabited by some 780,000 people, or seven per cent of the Cuban population. Paul A, Cox PA: An ethnobotanical survey of the uses for Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae) in Haiti. GUID:FB7A69D3-5F4B-4A23-86B2-F73B140ADACB. 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]. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee or corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. Plantas medicinales de uso tradicional en Pinar del Ro. Decoction of fresh herbal components (mainly leaves and other aerial parts) is the preferred means to prepare medicinal remedies. Remedies shared between Haitian immigrants and their descendants and the Cuban population are mainly the result of the presence of shared ethnobotanical knowledge before migration took place, but as well reflect adoption by Haitian immigrants of plants and/or uses from the dominant Cuban pharmacopoeia and, to a lesser extent, vice versa. around Central Brasil, Minas in the North of the Province and Central Haiti in the South). Voodoo, a traditional religion, is widely known for this hybrid form of care. Some locals say that Voodoo succeeds where modern . I used Kloss's Back to Eden and Santillo's Natural Healing with Herbs for my American source books. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 10.1007/s10745-008-9211-4. Camagey, La Habana). The plant pops up all over South Florida, especially when it rains. Volpato G, Godnez D. Ethnobotany of Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment. 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. "You know the herb is the healing of the nation," she said. California Privacy Statement, New York: Paragon, 1989. In today's Video Wilnise Francois will be sharing some of her favorite Haitian Traditional Plants.Wilnise Francois is a Haitian-American Licensed Nurse and H. 1960, Port-au-Prince: Imprimerie de L'etat, Leon R: Phytotherapie Haitienne; Nos simple. The Origins of Human Diet and Medicine Chemical Ecology. In some Caribbean grocery stores and health food stores,cerasee is sold in tea bags or dried. Pieroni A, Mnz H, Akbulut M, Baser KHC, Durmuskahya C: Traditional phytotherapy and transcultural pharmacy among Turkish immigrants living in Cologne, Germany. Haiti is one of the leading producers of vetiver in the world. Some 22 herbal mixtures are reported, including formulas for a preparation obtained using the fruit of Crescentia cujete. We aim to make significant improvements in the health of the Haitian population while keeping our company strong. Also, cricket's (genus Acheta and Neoconocaephalus) legs are boiled in water and the decoction is then drunk by children and older people who have urination problems. Boletn de Resea de Plantas Medicinales. All of the slaves traded their expertise in healing because of the plantation milieu and dire necessity in staying alive. GV and DG conceived and designed the research. 10.1016/j.jep.2004.11.022. 10.1016/0378-8741(82)90072-1. Rowe and Francis are both Jamaican. Citrus aurantium was found to be used medicinally to treat colds, fevers, hepatic disorders, gall bladder problems, rheumatism, epilepsy, emotional shock, bruising internally and externally, skin blemishes and digestive problems. Macia M, Garcia E, Vidaurre PJ. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Kloss, Jethro. Johns T: The Origins of Human Diet and Medicine. A Haitian carnival takes place every year in Santiago de Cuba, and a Creole radio program is broadcasted nationally [13]. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. Although no census of Haitians (residents or descendants) in Cuba has been done to date, we can roughly estimate the number of Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey at about 50,000 or 67% of the population. "The Bible say so. Psidium guajava as an anthelmintic). Seabrook, William B., The Magic Island, 1929. [15]. More than 50% of the mixtures are used to treat afflictions of the respiratory system. Volpato G, Godnez D: Medicinal foods in Cuba: Promoting health in the household. Given this, as well as the poor availability of ethnobotanical data relating to traditional Haitian medicine, there is an urgent need to record this knowledge. In its basic preparation, the inner mass is cooked, triturated, and then stirred, sometimes being left one night outside of the house before stirring. Revista Cubana de Alimentacin y Nutricin. Naomie Phillis, 50, sells traditional herbal medicine in Ption-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. Decoction of fresh herbal components (mainly leaves and other aerial parts) is the preferred means to prepare medicinal remedies. Some touristic infrastructures (notably in Camagey city and Santa Luca beach) have been developed in the last decade [26]. [15] and in other studies about traditional Cuban medicine [18,42], their use among Cubans is not as widespread or as differentiated as among Haitian descendants. Among the shared ethnobotanical practices is also the preparation of miel de gira with the pulp of the fruit of Crescentia cujete. Fuentes V. Sobre la medicina tradicional en Cuba.