It matters little from whence we hail. We are bound to have knowledge of one or two home remedies/recipes for some illness or for general physical well-being.

Now, here in the Caribbean, most home remedies utilize easily accessible plants found in the wild or at the nearest market. And, these plants are normally referred to by the general term bush. The application of these plants to treat an ailment is, in turn, called “bush medicine”.  To be sure, as any bush will tell you, for a really long time, inside and outside of the Caribbean, there has been much boiling, steeping, crushing, and so forth of bush to remedy some ailment.

In the Caribbean, “bush medicine” is the thing our grandparents and parents still talk about with so much reverence and pride in their voices. There are some of us who still suffer many sighs and “suck teeth” from said grandparents and parents every time we hustle off to the pharmacy or doctor for “modern day” medicine.

Indeed, many of us have spent a greater part of our childhood trying to avoid getting a good dose of some bush medicine which was supposed to do wonders for our bodies. Or conversely, just as many of us might have spent a great deal of time pretending to be ailing to get more of some bush medicine which made being ill worth it.

Now, as you can imagine, bush comes in all shapes, sizes, scents and flavours. And, to be sure, bush knows how to name itself. There is the subtly named “piss-a-bed”. There is also the bush which announces its purpose in life- “fever grass” and the like.  Then, there is the bush which make you go hmmm, for example, “mother-in-law’s tongue”. 

Fantastic names aside, if grandparents and great-grandparents are to be believed, every ailment under the sun and moon can be treated, if not cured, if one just knows the bush to harvest. Indeed, they will tell you that no bush exists solely for its good looks, but, was put on earth to be chewed up, brewed up, crushed up, and so forth to offer relief from or treat: irritability, arthritis, menstrual cramps, hypertension, insomnia, poor libido(really...) and an infinite host of other things.

Each week RE:BELLE will be featuring one such bush and readers will get the opportunity throughout the week via comments to discuss their knowledge (which is, undoubtedly greater than this writer's) or encounters with said bush or any other like remedy (doesn’t have to be bush remedy!).

Readers will also be able to vote on whether or not the bush of the week can be considered a good dose (i.e. effective) or not!

Disclaimer:

The contents of this page are meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. Statements published here ought not to be taken as expert medical advice designed to treat/cure any diseases or health related conditions. Please talk to your doctor or any qualified healthcare professional if you need medical advice (Believe me, WE at RE:BELLE WOULD!)