Caribbean Herbalism

From the forest to the pharmacy, the bush to the medicine bottle, explore how Caribbean plants and traditions help to heal people of all cultures.

For millennia, people have utilized plants as foods, medicines, hallucinogens, clothing, shelter, perfumes, dyes, and even poisons. In the Caribbean, medicinal and practical use of plants began with its first inhabitants, the Amerindians. New plants and knowledge were introduced through both triangular trade with Asia, Africa, and Europe and the enslavement of Africans and Indians from Southeast Asia, culminating in the modern-day system of Caribbean herbalism.

Caribbean Herbalism tells the rich and complex stories of Caribbean people and the plants that have sustained them. Inside you’ll find:

• A practical guide to a meaningful selection of herbs and their traditional uses
• Botanical field notes and drawings that tell the stories of the Indigenous, African, East Indian, and European plants that inhabit the region
• Culturally important traditions, remedies, and recipes
• Interviews with Caribbean people
• And so much more

This book offers practical tools you need to build a relationship with plants and make common Caribbean herbal remedies like bush teas, bush baths, herbal wines, infused alcohols and oils, and more!