In: Hammer K, Esquivel M, Knpffer H, editor. 2002, Camagey, Cuba: Editorial cana. Code of ethics of the American Anthropological Association. Some touristic infrastructures (notably in Camagey city and Santa Luca beach) have been developed in the last decade [26]. Goat feces are dried, powdered, mixed with olive oil and applied topically for burns, while packages made of urine and cotton are applied to the back of the heads of children with fever. So, Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus often appear in the corpus of ethnobotanical knowledge of African origin in Cuba [14, 51], and Erythroxylum havanense and Chiococca alba are among the main ingredients of multi-herbal preparations used as a medicinal remedy in Eastern Cuba as well as a spiritual remedy in Afro-Cuban religions [19, 34]. In: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, editor. Volpato G, Godnez D. Ethnobotany of Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. 1979, La Habana, Cuba: Editorial de Ciencias Sociales, Guanche J, Garcia AJ: Ethnic history. Additional file 1 lists the plant species cited by informants in alphabetical order according to their scientific name, along with their botanical families, vernacular Cuban and Haitian names (as reported by informants during the fieldwork), voucher specimen numbers, parts used, preparation of the remedies, medicinal use, and frequency of mention. Although no census of Haitians (residents or descendants) in Cuba has been done to date, we can roughly estimate the number of Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey at about 50,000 or 67% of the population. The plant pops up all over South Florida, especially when it rains. Another emmenagogue employed in both Haiti and the Ozarks is vervain. Mixtures (components, parts used, preparation and means of use) are given in Table 1, whereas the presence of species in mixtures is reported in Additional file 1. Special thanks are due to all of the Haitian respondents and their families for their kindness and for agreeing to share their knowledge with us, with oral consent being provided for figure figure2;2; to the members of the Asociacin de Haitianos de Camagey; to Patricia Howard for her commentaries and suggestions. The rural Missourian who uses herbs does so out of an unwillingness to give up a part of her heritage. For example, a small spoonful of the hairs of the fruits of Mucuna pruriens is mixed with Psidium guayaba jam and ingested before breakfast for three days; the massive diarrhea that follows is supposed to eliminate all worms from the gut and the stomach, as reported also by Seoane [16]. Almost five per cent of the remedies are used without processing, which is especially the case for fruits eaten as medicinal foods (e.g. [15] and in other studies about traditional Cuban medicine [18, 42], their use among Cubans is not as widespread or as differentiated as among Haitian descendants. Volpato, G., Godnez, D., Beyra, A. et al. Brutus TC, Pierre-Noel AV: Les plantes et legumes d'Haiti qui guerrissent. The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. 1953, La Habana: Contribuciones Ocasionales del Museo de Historia Natural Colegio La Salle 10, P. Fernndez and Ca, Len H, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. More emphasis is given, though to its calming and sedative effects than its purifying. Map of Cuba with the Province of Camagey. Google Scholar. Cultural aspects related to traditional plant posology are addressed, as well as changes and adaptation of Haitian medicinal knowledge with emigration and integration over time. 1998, 63: 1-179. The most frequently used species are Chenopodium ambrosioides, Cissus verticillata, Cocos nucifera, Crescentia cujete, Cymbopogon citratus, Lippia alba, Momordica charantia, Pimenta dioica, Portulaca oleracea, Psidium guajava, and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. [25]). But quinine is a chemical salt that can cause violent reactions, unlike gentle verbena. This lapse of time is long enough to permit insights to be drawn regarding the process of transformation and adaptation of ethnomedicinal knowledge after migration and in the ways in which the progressive integration of migrants in the host culture modifies this knowledge. 2007, Oxford: Berghahn, 245-269. 1991, 22: 55-76. The incorporation of local remedies into their own pharmacopoeia occurred as a consequence of factors such as cultural contacts and exchanges between Haitians and Cubans and of personal experimentation or imitation of local practices by migrants. Juice extraction is mostly used for green parts and is preferred over decoction and infusion for topical applications. Boil and simmer until the water turns a murky greenish brown. Juice extraction is mostly used for green parts and is preferred over decoction and infusion for topical applications. Cabrera L: El Monte. Gabriele Volpato. 2000, La Habana, Cuba: Centro de Antropologa-CEISIC-Centro Juan Marinello, Espronceda ME: Parentesco, inmigracin y comunidad. In the latter province, they mainly settled in Haitian communities such as Caidije and Guanamaca, thus permitting the perpetuation of their own culture, including the voodoo religion and the creole language [9-12]. (Colon, 154).. They observe nuances in the condition of their blood that are almost unheard of in white Anglo folk pharmacopoeia. With Nina Feldman. The last group of herbs I would like to comment on are three that could be called "female herbs". This use of cricket's legs has been also reported by Hernndez and Volpato [19] in their article about the medicinal mixtures of Eastern Cuba, as well as by Seoane [16] in his treatise on Cuban medical folklore. The most frequently used species are Chenopodium ambrosioides, Cissus verticillata, Cocos nucifera, Crescentia cujete, Cymbopogon citratus, Lippia alba, Momordica charantia, Pimenta dioica, Portulaca oleracea, Psidium guajava, and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. Some locals say that Voodoo succeeds where modern . Rituality based on 'sacred' numbers represents, in these cases, a simple way of memorizing the proper dose to be used, as well as a contribution to the efficacy of the remedy by calling upon supernatural forces and entities related to those numbers. Rowe and Francis are both Jamaican. He deduced that the bark and wood of the simarouba excelsa plant were an excellent tonic and febrifuge (that which acts to expel intestinal worms from the system). 2007, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 64-85. Among these, a mixture prepared with the fruit of Crescentia cujete as a main ingredient is highly regarded by Haitians and is considered as a panacea. Throughout the field study, the ethical guidelines adopted by the American Anthropological Association [27] were followed. Among first generation migrants, twenty are originally from the cities of Les Cayes (Creole name Okai) and Port Salut (Creole name Posal), in the South of Haiti, whereas four lived in or near Port-au-Prince. Haiti Medicine S.A. (HM) is a private company, which distributes top quality medicines and pharmaceutical products throughout Haiti. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, http://www.afrocubaweb.com/haiticuba.htm#creole, http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm, decoction of three shoots and three roots. Remedies shared between Haitian immigrants and their descendants and the Cuban population are mainly the result of the presence of shared ethnobotanical knowledge before migration took place, but as well reflect adoption by Haitian immigrants of plants and/or uses from the dominant Cuban pharmacopoeia and, to a lesser extent, vice versa. Ed. Back to Eden, 1939. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Traveling Plants and Cultures The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Migrations. At the same time, posology is embedded in specific rituals that are performed during the preparation of the remedies, which on the one hand serve to memorize the proper dose, especially when dealing with toxic allelochemicals, and on the other hand contribute to the efficacy of the remedy by invoking supernatural forces and entities related to those rituals and numbers. Nevertheless, some culturally relevant products such as dried or fresh specimens of Artemisia absinthium and fruits and seeds of Abelmoschus esculentus were brought to Cuba upon migration (Figure (Figure2).2). In its basic preparation, the inner mass is cooked, triturated, and then stirred, sometimes being left one night outside of the house before stirring. Besides single medicinal plants, informants also reported 22 herbal mixtures that are mostly prepared as a concoction of plants or plant parts and ingested. Its not even like cod liver oil. Information was obtained from semi-structured interviews with Haitian immigrants and their descendants, direct observations, and by reviewing reports of traditional Haitian medicine in the literature. More than 50% of the mixtures are used to treat afflictions of the respiratory system. Generally, decoction is used for hard and ligneous parts, including coriaceous leaves, while infusion is used only for soft leaves and shoots, especially from aromatic plants (e.g. I think the reason I was unable to find any mention of them in Haiti was because of the complete dissimilarity in climate. Momordica charantia, Solanum americanum and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis are among those species most cited by Haitians in this study. Nevertheless, some culturally relevant products such as dried or fresh specimens of Artemisia absinthium and fruits and seeds of Abelmoschus esculentus were brought to Cuba upon migration (Figure 2). An official website of the United States government. Some locals say that Voodoo succeeds where modern medicine can't, but that the religion is often misunderstood. Hernndez J: Uso popular de plantas con fines medicinales. Kloss, Jethro. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. Careers, Unable to load your collection due to an error. Phillis has sold medicinal herbs since the age of 9, when she helped her mother. Calle Cisneros No. During the decades after emigration, the original Haitian ethnomedicinal knowledge progressively changed and adapted to the new environment, maintaining cultivation and use of important medicinal plants, incorporating plants and uses from the host Cuban culture, and diffusing specific plant uses to Cubans in contact with Haitian communities. She is a believer of remed fey, or bush medicine. Inventaire ethnopharmacologique. The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, killed an estimated 230,000 people, wounded many more, and left a reported one million homeless. GV drafted the manuscript. Ethnopharmacological themes in sub-Saharan art objects and utensils. But, says Davis, "there were a lot of problems with the Datura hypothesis. volume5, Articlenumber:16 (2009) Fuentes V. Sobre la medicina tradicional en Cuba. Herbal baths are important in Haitian culture in both spiritual and medicinal practices, and represent the second most important category of administration, after ingestion. Esquivel M, Fuentes V, Martnez C, Martnez J, Hammer K: The African influence from an Ethnobotanical Point of View. De Smet PAGM. Anyone who has seen a cat lolling around blissfully on a pile of catnip knows that this herb can produce a definite reaction.. Most Haitians were illiterate, crowded into barracks (barracones), paid a miserable salary, and compelled to hand over their savings to reimburse the cost of their passage [7, 9]. My own interest in herbal healing dates back twenty years when I moved to a rural area in the Ozarks and had occasion to meet local people who gathered herbs and used them to treat various ailments. Data also suggest that culturally relevant plants (those cited by more informants and with a greater number of uses) are often used in different qualitative ways by migrants and hosts. Exceptions to this are the works of Brutus and Pierre-Noel, Len, and Weniger et al. Once they found themselves in Cuba, the main strategies that Haitian migrants used to maintain their ethnomedicinal practices depended principally on the floristic similarity between Haiti and Cuba (i.e. In contrast, the use of the same species with different medicinal purposes may be the result of migrant's adoption of some species through experimentation with plants found in the new environment (e.g. The research led to the identification of 123 different plant species used for medicinal purposes by Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey. The European slave owners were not without their healing knowledge, too. And it is precisely that useful function and the needs it fulfils that keep herbal healing alive and well in both Haiti and the Ozarks. Privacy HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help I used Kloss's Back to Eden and Santillo's Natural Healing with Herbs for my American source books. People like St. Fort, who grew up in Haiti, know to keep an eye out for the trusted plant. 105 e/ngel y Pobre, Camagey, Cuba. [14]. Specifically, I was looking for ginseng and goldenseal, both highly sought for their curative properties. Although its roots grow downwards, the plant itself can grow up to 1.5 meters high, with long and thin leaves and brownish/golden flowers. The use of herbal medicine is common in Haiti, where the knowledge of plants is passed down through the generations, and Haitians are known to use the hibiscus flower and the cerasee plant . Cerasse vine intertwined with other plants growing in Cacheta Francis' North Miami Beach backyard. CD ROM Atlas Etnogrficos de Cuba. Haitian empirical medicine sprang from both European (16th to 19th century) and African (especially voodoo) traditional therapies. This is where I come when Im sick and I really need some old-time herbs, she said. 2023 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. Santillo, Humbart. around Central Brasil, Minas in the North of the Province and Central Haiti in the South). Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are . In the case of a child with persistent 'evil eye' (for example when the child cries excessively), after the bath the child's clothes are burnt, and a collar is made with seeds of Canavalia ensiformis and placed on the child, as reported also in Haiti [36]. Additional file 1 lists the plant species cited by informants in alphabetical order according to their scientific name, along with their botanical families, vernacular Cuban and Haitian names (as reported by informants during the fieldwork), voucher specimen numbers, parts used, preparation of the remedies, medicinal use, and frequency of mention. Although no census of Haitians (residents or descendants) in Cuba has been done to date, we can roughly estimate the number of Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey at about 50,000 or 67% of the population. Viladrich A: Between bellyaches and lucky charms. It is known in both locales as a blood purifier or that which promotes a cleaning action of the liver, kidneys, spleen and bowels. Nowadays Haitians are mostly integrated into mainstream Cuban society, although many of them maintain a small-scale farming and livestock production as a base for their livelihoods. Among these, a mixture prepared with the fruit of Crescentia cujete as a main ingredient is highly regarded by Haitians and is considered as a panacea. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Other medicinal uses reported in this study and also commonly found in the Cuban pharmacopoeia include the use of the aerial parts of Cissus verticillata for respiratory problems, of the young fruit of Cocos nucifera and the leaves of Portulaca oleracea for intestinal parasites, of the bark and the leaves of Mangifera indica for gastrointestinal and respiratory problems respectively.

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