Now, I have told this story so many times, people have gotten sick of not hearing it more often. It’s a good story. Has a nice plot structure…shows a girl coming of age and all.

You see, sometimes, you grow up feeling particularly chummy with a bush.  Then along comes someone dead set on proving they are chummier with said bush. “Oh you didn’t know its nickname was….and it was good for…?”

So, let’s make a long story very short. I grew up knowing the “Cinnamon Bush” as just that- “Cinnamon Bush”. Then, out of the blue, there I was- in my school uniform at my all-girls school and we girls got around to talking about “bush”.  (Girls back then knew how to have good conversations!)

So, talk got around to this “Christmas Bush” and I was there making fun of the name.  Sure, I’d heard of Christmas trees…but a Christmas Bush that could be used to make tea?!  Does not exist!

One girl, eager to prove her chumminess with the bush, took us to investigate a Christmas Bush tree which just happened to be on the premises. I was shocked. There they were- the all too familiar glossy green leaves (a few had turned yellow-brown) and yellow-white flowers gleamed in the sunlight. The unmistakable spicy- cinnamon clove- aroma played teasingly in the air.

I gathered my wits and comforted myself with the fact that, different name or not, this bush was still the same old bush I grew up with.  It was the bush that was absolutely great in giving that cinnamon-clove-y flavour to my cornmeal or cream of wheat porridge. It was the bush that made the most amazing cup of tea, especially when you added other tea bushes to the concoction.  It was also still the bush, which, made a refreshing cup of tea (sometimes given to those suffering a fever). 

Indeed, it was still the bush rumored to be a good cure for a mean gas (seems like a lot of bushes have that power).  Okay…so... I could take discovering all of that. My Cinnamon Bush tree could become the Christmas Bush tree and I’d survive. But lo and behold, some years later, someone would take to inquiring whether or not I knew that the Christmas Bush tree is also known as the West Indian Bay tree (Pimenta racemosa).

I asked around and sure enough people nodded their heads in affirmation that this latest detail was indeed accurate. And so, I had to listen patiently as someone educated me that, back in the day, a “bush bath” using the leaves of the Christmas Bush tree (now the Bay tree, I guess) was rather common. Apparently, this “bush bath” was considered a right remedy for helping a person to relax or battle insomnia.

Then, there was all this talk about “bay oil” and “bay rum” (distilled by-products of bay leaves). Bay rum is, reportedly, great for rheumatism, sprains and muscular pain as well as headaches, colds and skin infections. Indeed, I do remember a time when no household in my village could exist without a bottle of bay rum tucked away somewhere. Women and men were prone to applying a bandage (really just a piece of cloth), soaked in bay rum, to their heads to battle a fever or, more commonly, a headache.

I also seem to remember a Bay Rum cologne (for men) which had a rather comforting scent. Bay rum was also, reportedly, commonly used as a hair tonic and reputed to be quite the hair strengthener/grower. So, what do you know of the Christmas Bush/ Cinnamon/Bay Tree?

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!)