[MPWG] Curacao herbalist preserves traditional Caribbean cures

[rabiah al nur]

Curacao herbalist preserves traditional Caribbean cures 
Posted by: "UCTP Office" la_voz_taino at yahoo.com   la_voz_taino 
Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:29 am (PDT) 
By Brian EllsworthCERRO GRANDE, Curacao (Reuters): For years Dinah Veeris ignored thetraditional Caribbean medicine of her native Curacao, but whilerecovering from an operation she found only her mother's teas easedher stomach pains.Casual chats with her mother about the herbs in her garden turned intoa five-year study of herbal medicine that took Veeris from the islandof Curacao through the mountains of nearby Aruba and Bonaire isles,just north of Venezuela."There was so much knowledge that I started to do an investigationwith older people. They went with me to the mountains to teach me howto use the plants," she said.Veeris, a former teacher, also collected native plants threatened byCuracao's economic development. In 1994 she opened a garden outsidethe capital of Willemstad to preserve herbal medicine and thetraditions of an island of 130,000 residents that is a self-governingpart of the Netherlands."When we were young if we were sick we wanted to go to the doctor, wedidn't want to have anything to do with herbs," she said. "We werelosing these traditions, that's why I wanted this garden that wouldhave all the knowledge in one place."The garden, called Den Paradera, now draws Curacao residents seekingnatural cures, and tourists attracted by the bastion of tradition onan island increasingly populated by shimmering glass offices andglitzy tourist resorts.On twice-daily tours, handfuls of foreign tourists or larger schoolparties wander through the maze of plants. The garden is home tospecies such as the Calabash, a tree with dense wood and gourd-likefruits, used to treat stomach aches, hypertension and breathing problems.Another plant called Silik Cotton has green pods filled withcotton-like fiber whose aroma helps cure insomnia, while its leaveshelp ease headaches.Veeris' treatments are a mixture of remedies used by indigenous ArawakIndians and African slaves, who had been brought to the island by theDutch. Much of the Indian and African spirituality and medicine wasbanned by Roman Catholicism, Curacao's primary religion."It was forbidden to practice herbal medicine so people did a lot insecret. To this day you hardly talk about it because some people seeit as negative," Veeris, 69, explained.Twice a week she has consultations with Curacao residents seeking helpfor ailments and emotional or spiritual problems.Den Paradera, which means "where people feel at home," is anadditional attraction to the island's tropical beaches and historicDutch architecture.Veeris said tea made with oregano can improve digestion and relieveear aches. Tropical sage can help women cope with menopause. Herremedies are meant to complement Western medicine."A lot of people go to the doctor and it doesn't help so they go to aspiritual healer or to an herbalist," she said.Herbal medicine has become increasingly popular in the United Statesand Europe as people seek alternative treatments for problems such aschronic back pain and the side effects of chemotherapy.Den Paradera also works to preserve island traditions such as diggingwells by hand. The tour of her garden includes a well about 60 feetdeep, dug in the 1920s. Visitors are also shown the Curacao traditionof trying to revive dying plants by singing to them while rocking themin hanging pots.Children from the island's schools tour the garden's traditional hutswhere healers stored their medicines."This garden helps remind me that if you use your own herbal medicine,you don't need very much to live," said Veeris. "Once a year I do mymedical exams, but if I have a headache, I still use my herbs. I feelvery strong."Rabiah Al Nur Spring of Light rabiah_sol at hotmail.com
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