Bush Doctor

This book was informative; however, it would have been better if there were colored photos of the plants and fruits, etc., named in this book. Since plants are known by various names throught the West Indies and the world, this book would be more beneficial if the author used colored photos to show what the plant or fruit looked like so that even if the reader did not recognize the name of the plant used by the author, then the photo would aid the reader if the plant was known by a different in his country.

The information contained in the book is very informative.

I really like this book.Very indepth and well written , I think the author did his research.Iwould recommend this book.

Ths was a really helpful and fasnatng book that a lot of people should also find useful and it was fun.

BUSH DOCTOR:Forgotten Folklore & RemediesFrom Jamaica and the CaribbeanBy Sylvester AyreA review by Marty MartindaleYour reviewer was in a little bookstore on the southern Caribbean island of Grenada when Bush Doctor caught my attention. There is little doubt millions of Caribbean people have known remedies they used on each other over the years, from bush teas to tree sap compresses, which could alleviate many ailments. However, few, very few, have taken the time to write these folkways down and get them circulated, worldwide, as a book.Sylvester Ayer, the author, was a member of the first free slave village of Sligoville, Jamaica. His home was in St. Catherine. For many years he populated a small museum with relics of old beliefs, myths, remedies, also with what he called Means along with some mixtures of locally foraged foods. From all of his findings and life tales comes his fascinating book of some 100 pages.Here are a few items from his Beliefs, Myths & Truths section:If a woman went into labor unexpectedly early, they could delay delivery by placing a fist-sized stone on her forehead.Van-van oil was regarded as a love charm. If rubbed on the hand of one seeking a new love, she would be his after he merely touched her.They learned dogs would become fierce with regular drinks of strong coffee. Feeding them ganja-tea made them even more dangerous.Some of the Remedies, Ayre cites:For hypertension they gave crushed garlic in water daily. Another aid was coconut water and lime juice. Comfrey tea was another as was a combination of banana and breadfruit leaves boiled to become a tea.For measles they boiled dried corn kernels and water for 40 minutes, cooled and administered.For toothache they burned the shells of dried coconuts and smeared the residue on affected gums.For underarm perspiration odor, they applied lime juice to the area.They treated diabetes with a tea made from red water grass.Thrush mouth was treated with the juice of green tomatoes. They also used the juice from the inner part of trunks of banana trees.One of their treatments for diarrhea was to place six buds from a guava tree on the patient's tongue who chewed them thoroughly.In a third section Ayer calls Means he tells how they used found items to act as tools or utencils for their work:Strainers were fashioned from sheets of fabric-like material from the coconut tree.In the absence of soap, they scrubbed with emptied ackee pods.For black shoe polish and ink for school pens, they relied on certain flowers from the hibiscus bushes.Gourds served as food containers or "pakkies" as they were called.Burned, dried orange peel drove mesquitos away.Foods were simply concoctions of what each island yielded, and with ingenuity, they created favorite dishes. Ayre includes recipes which frequently involve fascinating methods.Jackfruit WhackAsham CakeChoco-Fix-upArrowroot PorridgeCoconut CustardCorn DumplingsKwa-Kwa or Flour DumplingsBana FriggazeeJokotohCoCo-Shoots SoupCorn as CoffeeChocolate VealIf you wish to give a gift to someone in the field of wholistics, this would be an excellent choice.Marty Martindale's website is: FOOD SITE OF THE DAY

Lovely book on traditional remedies used in the Caribbean. I will definitely be trying out some of the folklore traditions

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It wasn't as informative as I had expected.. Interesting old wives tales and useful herbal remedies. . It's an ok read

Very interesting

Very informative book for the Caribbean -enjoy reading this bookvery pleased with this purchase - would recommend to anyone