Secrets Of Bush Medicine

By Erica Wells - The Bahama Journal

Most people have heard of strong back, five finger and fever grass teas but how many know the background, the supposed benefits and how to prepare the "bush medicine" which has long been a popular method of treatment for various ills.

Veteran educator Martha Hanna-Smith is sure to increase the number of people who do know about the tradition of bush medicine with the publication of her book "Bush Medicine: A Bahamian Folk Tradition," a labour of love that has been almost 30 years in the making.

"It took all those years but I eventually got it published," Mrs. Hanna-Smith told Arts and Entertainment in a phone interview from Abaco, where she is a teacher.

The 80-page book features plants used for "medicinal" and "nutritional" purposes, complete with colourful photographs, historical background, a quick reference section of each featured foliage, a preparation guide and an "ailment" index.

Bahamians have used indigenous plants for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. This tradition, known as bush medicine, was brought to The Bahamas by African slaves and gained importance in the Family Islands, where doctors were scarce, but a long healthy life seemed to be the standard.

It is estimated that nearly 100 plants found throughout The Bahamas have reportedly been used to cure such common ills as indigestion, colds, diarrhoea and headaches, and other more serious ailments.

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Bush Medicine

Before modern medicine developed laboratory drugs, our ancestors all over the world used herbs and weeds for health. In many parts of the world today, they are the only treatment available and sometimes work better than manufactured drugs. Many plants exhibit the "Doctrine of Signatures" which is a concept that there is some physical characteristic about a plant that signals what it could be used for on the physical body.

One great example of this concept is the red peeling bark of the Gumbo-Limbo tree. Also called the "Sunburned Tourist Tree" parts of this tree are used to effectively treat poison wood exposure, sunburn, insect bites and most any other skin related problem.

In developed countries many store-bought medicines originate from "Nature's Pharmacy." When you use aloe Vera gel for sunburn, you are benefiting from bush medicine. The active ingredient in aspirin comes from willow bark, a Native American healing plant. Over 25% of the worlds commercial medicines come from plant based chemicals found in the tropical regions.

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