In the latter province, they mainly settled in Haitian communities such as Caidije and Guanamaca, thus permitting the perpetuation of their own culture, including the voodoo religion and the creole language [9-12]. Since catnip is a very mild herb for humans, it is safe to give to babies in tea form. [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. They are persistent. Au DT, Wu J, Jiang Z, Chen H, Lu G, Zhao Z. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Hakka in Guangdong, China. 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. Mints such as catnip are widely used both in Haiti and America. 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. 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. Between bellyaches and lucky charms. In reference to therapeutic use, almost half of the remedies are intended to treat gastro-intestinal afflictions (stomach pains, and as digestive and carminative; about 20%) and afflictions of the respiratory system (catarrh, asthma, colds, cough; about 18%). and transmitted securely. only with the new moon [42]), where the remedy is ingested periodically throughout the year. In the case of a child with persistent 'evil eye' (for example when the child cries excessively), after the bath the child's clothes are burnt, and a collar is made with seeds of Canavalia ensiformis and placed on the child, as reported also in Haiti [36]. 2004, 61: 185-204. Throughout the field study, the ethical guidelines adopted by the American Anthropological Association [27] were followed. 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). Another emmenagogue employed in both Haiti and the Ozarks is vervain. Williams. Hernndez J: Uso popular de plantas con fines medicinales. 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. Camagey is the largest province in Cuba, at 15,615 km2, corresponding to 14.3% of the nation's territory. A few other remedies of non-vegetal origin were also reported. Nez N, Gonzlez E. Antecedentes etnohistricos de la alimentacin tradicional en Cuba. Haitians believe that giving catnip tea to infants will clarify impurities in their blood. 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. The Haitian herbalist and her Ozark counterpart share a similarity: they both gather and use herbs because of necessity. Google Scholar. Five formulas have been reported as miel de gira (siw kalbaz in Creole), whose main ingredient is the fruit of Crescentia cujete. 1964, La Habana: Asociacin de Estudiantes de Ciencias Biolgicas, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. 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. Dayana St. Fort was born in Haiti. Pierre-Noel (1959) gathered recipes and modes of usage for various plants and categorized them by illness. The decoction of fresh herbal components is by far the preferred means to prepare medicinal remedies, accounting for almost 60% of all preparations, which is similar to what has been found in traditional Cuban medicine [15, 17, 19]. Kloss, Jethro. William Seabrook's work The Magic Island also cites the usage of verbena in women who are in labor (Seabrook 327). Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. 105 e/ngel y Pobre, Camagey, Cuba. 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. 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. The plants cited were photographed, collected with the informants during the interviews, and identified by authors (D.G., A.B., A.B.) Correspondence to Moreover, to date only limited data about Haitian traditional medicine has been collected in Haiti, mostly due to the fact that the religious, cultural, and political situation in Haiti has made the study of Haitian ethnomedicine difficult [20]. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. Plantas medicinales de uso tradicional en Pinar del Ro. Ed. 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. They sell a large variety of medicinal plants (67 dry species and three fresh species) from the Haitian pharmacopoeia. Remedies prepared by heating plant parts in fire (four per cent) are mostly used for topical applications (e.g. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Afrikanische Arzneipflanzen und Jagdgifte Chemie, Pharmakologie, Toxikologie. Very, very, very bitter. While I was able to match several Haitian herbs with American counterparts, I was a little disappointed that I could find no mention of the "biggies" of American herbal pharmacoepeia in Caribbean plant botany. Comisin Nacional de Nombres Geogrficos: Diccionario Geogrfico de Cuba. "y tienen faxones y fabas muy diversos de los nuestros" Origin, Evolution and Diversity of Cuban Plant Genetic Resources. But even cerasee devotees say some of the claims might just be old wives tales. Voodoo, a traditional religion, is widely known for this hybrid form of care. She lives in Pembroke Pines and she also grew up drinking asosi tea. I was born and raised in Miami, but my very Haitian mom always kept true to her roots especially whenever I didnt feel well. 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 [15]. Edited by: Pieroni A, Price LL. Haitian with a dried fruit of Abelmoschus esculentus from his homegarden (G. Volpato). Ethnopharmacological themes in sub-Saharan art objects and utensils. 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. [15] who interviewed 29 Cuban informants across the Province of Camagey and reported 111 species used for medicinal purposes. Bidens pilosa, Cymbopogon citratus, Majorana hortensis, Ocimum spp.). Some people from the Caribbean believe theres almost nothing cerasee doesnt work for. from therapeutic activities pertaining to this cult are of the same kind as those encountered in the practice of Modern Medicine. 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]. Momordica charantia, Solanum americanum and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis are among those species most cited by Haitians in this study. Otherwise, they live in hospices either in Camagey or in smaller cities and villages. 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 European slave owners were not without their healing knowledge, too. A Haitian carnival takes place every year in Santiago de Cuba, and a Creole radio program is broadcasted nationally [13]. [14]. A fresh pot of cerasee or asosi tea, a traditional plant used across the Caribbean for all ailments. 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. A close-up of the cerasee bouquet Audre Rowe plans to use as a topical treatment for a rash. 2004, 90: 293-316. 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. with Momordica charantia, Hamelia patens), as well as to treat skin infections such as carbuncles, to alleviate itching, and to fortify children who have 'fragile health'. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee or corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. 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. Haitian Plants Medicine, One natural remedy that can be made from the plants and herbs in your herb garden is a frustration painkiller called Echinacea. A 2017 World Bank report revealed that Haiti's health sector is underfunded, with public spending per capita totaling $13 per year. In its basic preparation, the inner mass is cooked, triturated, and then stirred, sometimes being left one night outside of the house before stirring. I think the reason I was unable to find any mention of them in Haiti was because of the complete dissimilarity in climate. Before you rub yourself with it, Sister Francis instructed, youwash it and rub it all over where the itching is.. Su estudio en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba. [14], while some other information can be found in James et al. Google Scholar. But in Haiti, where worms are a more prevalent problem among the population, senna is gathered and used for its febrifuge properties. You can drink that one over there named King of the Forest, she said. 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. most plants used in Haiti were also available in Cuba), and to the cultivation of medicinal plants in the new environment. I might add though, that there is a nebulous line between what constitutes an emmenogogue or abortifacient, but the desired result is the instigation of bleeding. Some touristic infrastructures (notably in Camagey city and Santa Luca beach) have been developed in the last decade [26]. Pedernales, Santo Domingo, in Ethnomedicine 4: 139-166, 1976. Revista Cubana de Alimentacin y Nutricin. They are used to treat rashes in children caused by measles and smallpox (e.g. Interviews were conducted in Spanish after first explaining the aims of the study. Echinacea can be taken numerous times a day, as recommended by an herbalist. The site is secure. One that I ran across in my research that is very interesting and pertinent to this subject is quassia, or bitterwood. Estudio etnobotnico I. Fuentes V. Plants in Afro-Cuban Religions. Some plant uses have a common origin in the ethnobotanical practices of Caribbean people of African cultural heritage, the so-called Afro-Caribbean pharmacopoeia: examples include the use of the aerial parts of Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus, as well as the use of roots and ligneous parts of Allophylus cominia, Caesalpinia bahamensis, Erythroxylum havanense, and Chiococca alba. ", She points to a green shrub with slightly oval leaves, This isJackna Bush.. Specifically, I was looking for ginseng and goldenseal, both highly sought for their curative properties. Esquivel M, Fuentes V, Martnez C, Martnez J, Hammer K. The African influence from an Ethnobotanical Point of View. Pedro A. Guanamaca, una comunidad haitiana. Etnologa y Folklore. Haiti is tropical and ginseng and goldenseal need cool, shady forest slopes to grow in. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Fieldwork was carried out from December 2002March 2003 and from FebruaryJuly 2004. 1959, Port-au-Prince: Imprimerie de L'etat. Among the shared ethnobotanical practices is also the preparation of miel de gira with the pulp of the fruit of Crescentia cujete. and Bidens pilosa are added to treat congestions of the respiratory system, whereas 'hot' plants (e.g. Pieroni A, Mnz H, Akbulut M, Baser KHC, Durmuskahya C: Traditional phytotherapy and transcultural pharmacy among Turkish immigrants living in Cologne, Germany. Traveling Plants and Cultures The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. 10.1016/j.jep.2004.11.022. Revealing Latinos' plant-healing knowledge and practices in New York City. 1999, 13: 145-150. 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. Some plant uses have a common origin in the ethnobotanical practices of Caribbean people of African cultural heritage, the so-called Afro-Caribbean pharmacopoeia: examples include the use of the aerial parts of Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus, as well as the use of roots and ligneous parts of Allophylus cominia, Caesalpinia bahamensis, Erythroxylum havanense, and Chiococca alba. 10.1016/j.jep.2003.10.012. By using this website, you agree to our Among these, a mixture prepared with the fruit of Crescentia cujete as a main ingredient is highly regarded by Haitians and is considered as a panacea. 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. 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). Echinacea can be taken several times a day, as advised by an herbalist. Still, cerasee is in demand, especially for Caribbean transplants now living here in South Florida. 1) and generally sold for US$1.50 to $2.50. Ingestion is the preferred means to administer the remedies and accounts for 62% of all applications. At the same time, posology is embedded in specific rituals that are performed during the preparation of the remedies, which on the one hand serve to memorize the proper dose, especially when dealing with toxic allelochemicals, and on the other hand contribute to the efficacy of the remedy by invoking supernatural forces and entities related to those rituals and numbers. 1. Kote ou bouke m pote Cultura haitiana en Esmeralda. Brutus TC, Pierre-Noel AV: Les plantes et legumes d'Haiti qui guerrissent. In these contexts, the main forces that drive change in the cultural domain of traditional medicinal knowledge are: (1) the adaptation of the original knowledge to the new (host) environment (through substitution of no longer accessible traditional remedies with locally available ones, and the incorporation of remedies from the host culture into migrants' own pharmacopoeia); and (2) the development of strategies to obtain the original remedies (through cultivation, gathering, or marketing of the original remedies, and the development of social networks that link migrants to relatives and friends in the place of origin) [47, 48].

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