Caribbean Folk Medicine

The fruit's aril is the main ingredient of Jamaica's national dish.

Called medina; one of the herbs in Jamaican "root tonic" (strong back).

Used in Trinidad and Tobago for high blood pressure.

In western Jamaica, cerasee is among the most commonly reported herbal remedies for both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

A key ingredient in Jamaican "root tonic" (strong back), and brewed as a tea for colds and flu.

Used in folk medicine across the Caribbean and Central and South America for stomach aches, colic, asthma and other complaints. It contains kidney-damaging, cancer-causing aristolochic acids.

Used in Puerto Rico alongside treatment for diabetes.

Known in Jamaica as dogberry. Haitian communities grow it for its leaves, which are cooked and eaten.

Used in Jamaican folk medicine to treat roundworms; the same plant was used by Jamaica's Hookworm Commission in the early 1900s.

Leaves used for skin problems, bellyache and wind, and cuts.

One of the most commonly reported herbal remedies for high blood pressure among clinic patients in western Jamaica.

Leaf and shoot teas for diarrhea, vomiting and ataque de nervios, and a leaf wash for skin rashes and pimples.

One of Jamaica's most popular bush medicines, used by at least 20% of people for colds and flu.

Used in Trinidad and Tobago, where it's called shining bush, as a "cooling" remedy.

Widely used across the Caribbean for breathing, digestive, women's health, skin and muscle problems.

One of Jamaica's most popular bush medicines, used by at least 20% of people for colds and flu.

Called fever grass in Jamaica, where it's one of the most-used teas for colds and flu.

In rural Trinidad, where it's called shandilay, about 30% of people surveyed named it as a remedy for colds and coughs.

Mauby, a bitter drink made from the bark, is widely used in the Caribbean as a folk remedy.

One of the 25 most popular medicinal plants in a study of two Jamaican communities.

In Jamaica, a leaf tea is an anecdotal remedy for colds and flu.

Used for diabetes in Trinidad and Tobago.

In Trinidad and Tobago, where it's called pussley, the whole plant is used for high cholesterol and shortness of breath.

Used in Jamaica as a tea and in roots drinks for libido, and to help livestock breed.

Used in Jamaica for colds and flu, and as one of the roots in the "strong back" roots tonic.

A Jamaican bush tea used as an anecdotal remedy for colds and flu.

Recommended by TRAMIL, the Caribbean traditional-medicine research network, as a tea for period cramps.

A tropical American tree whose fruit is eaten and whose parts are used as medicine.

One of the roots in Jamaica's "strong back" roots tonic, used by men for impotence and stamina.

In Jamaica the berries are mainly a food, cooked in traditional dishes served with cod and rice.

Called vervain in Jamaica and vervine in Antigua and Trinidad; used as a "cooling" remedy.