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<H2><A href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Taino_News/message/1147;_ylc=X3oDMTJxcThjYml1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzcyNTU0NzIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MzA5BG1zZ0lkAzExNDcEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIyMTQ4MjYyMA--" target=_blank name=3>Curacao herbalist preserves traditional Caribbean cures </A></H2>
<H3>Posted by: "UCTP Office" <A href="mailto:la_voz_taino@yahoo.com?Subject= Re:Curacao herbalist preserves traditional Caribbean cures">la_voz_taino@yahoo.com </A> <A href="http://profiles.yahoo.com/la_voz_taino" target=_blank>la_voz_taino </A></H3>
<H4>Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:29 am (PDT) </H4>
<DIV class=EC_ygrp-content>By Brian Ellsworth<BR><BR>CERRO GRANDE, Curacao (Reuters): For years Dinah Veeris ignored the<BR>traditional Caribbean medicine of her native Curacao, but while<BR>recovering from an operation she found only her mother's teas eased<BR>her stomach pains.<BR><BR>Casual chats with her mother about the herbs in her garden turned into<BR>a five-year study of herbal medicine that took Veeris from the island<BR>of Curacao through the mountains of nearby Aruba and Bonaire isles,<BR>just north of Venezuela.<BR><BR>"There was so much knowledge that I started to do an investigation<BR>with older people. They went with me to the mountains to teach me how<BR>to use the plants," she said.<BR><BR>Veeris, a former teacher, also collected native plants threatened by<BR>Curacao's economic development. In 1994 she opened a garden outside<BR>the capital of Willemstad to preserve herbal medicine and the<BR>traditions of an island of 130,000 residents that is a self-governing<BR>part of the Netherlands.<BR><BR>"When we were young if we were sick we wanted to go to the doctor, we<BR>didn't want to have anything to do with herbs," she said. "We were<BR>losing these traditions, that's why I wanted this garden that would<BR>have all the knowledge in one place."<BR><BR>The garden, called Den Paradera, now draws Curacao residents seeking<BR>natural cures, and tourists attracted by the bastion of tradition on<BR>an island increasingly populated by shimmering glass offices and<BR>glitzy tourist resorts.<BR><BR>On twice-daily tours, handfuls of foreign tourists or larger school<BR>parties wander through the maze of plants. The garden is home to<BR>species such as the Calabash, a tree with dense wood and gourd-like<BR>fruits, used to treat stomach aches, hypertension and breathing problems.<BR><BR>Another plant called Silik Cotton has green pods filled with<BR>cotton-like fiber whose aroma helps cure insomnia, while its leaves<BR>help ease headaches.<BR><BR>Veeris' treatments are a mixture of remedies used by indigenous Arawak<BR>Indians and African slaves, who had been brought to the island by the<BR>Dutch. Much of the Indian and African spirituality and medicine was<BR>banned by Roman Catholicism, Curacao's primary religion.<BR><BR>"It was forbidden to practice herbal medicine so people did a lot in<BR>secret. To this day you hardly talk about it because some people see<BR>it as negative," Veeris, 69, explained.<BR><BR>Twice a week she has consultations with Curacao residents seeking help<BR>for ailments and emotional or spiritual problems.<BR><BR>Den Paradera, which means "where people feel at home," is an<BR>additional attraction to the island's tropical beaches and historic<BR>Dutch architecture.<BR><BR>Veeris said tea made with oregano can improve digestion and relieve<BR>ear aches. Tropical sage can help women cope with menopause. Her<BR>remedies are meant to complement Western medicine.<BR><BR>"A lot of people go to the doctor and it doesn't help so they go to a<BR>spiritual healer or to an herbalist," she said.<BR><BR>Herbal medicine has become increasingly popular in the United States<BR>and Europe as people seek alternative treatments for problems such as<BR>chronic back pain and the side effects of chemotherapy.<BR><BR>Den Paradera also works to preserve island traditions such as digging<BR>wells by hand. The tour of her garden includes a well about 60 feet<BR>deep, dug in the 1920s. Visitors are also shown the Curacao tradition<BR>of trying to revive dying plants by singing to them while rocking them<BR>in hanging pots.<BR><BR>Children from the island's schools tour the garden's traditional huts<BR>where healers stored their medicines.<BR><BR>"This garden helps remind me that if you use your own herbal medicine,<BR>you don't need very much to live," said Veeris. "Once a year I do my<BR>medical exams, but if I have a headache, I still use my herbs. I feel<BR>very strong."<BR><BR><BR>Rabiah Al Nur Spring of Light rabiah_sol@hotmail.com</DIV><br /><hr />See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of your life. <a href='http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/' target='_new'>See Now</a></body>
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