Every mother has a stash of home remedies in her kitchen. In mere seconds she is able to whip up a concoction with ingredients such as garlic, honey, white rum, limes, aloe and ginger, to treat household members who may feel unwell.
She learnt from her mother about the healing powers of plants, with details of their curative powers being passed down through the generations. Recognized for its biodiversity, Jamaica is home to about 4,000 types of wild plants. More than 300 have been identified as useful herbs.
Those who are old enough may recall the sweet, alliterating sounds of iterant herb vendors who moved through Kingston communities peddling their stock. The lyrics of this folk song may jog some memories.
“She had Man Piaba, Woman Piab
Tom Tom Fall back and lemon grass.
Minnie root, gully root, granny backbone
Dead-man git up and live on turro,
Collie bitter and Gorina Bush, the old Compellance Weed,
Sweet Broom, Cow tongue, Granny Scratch- Scratch,
Belly-Puller and the Guzu Weed.”
It’s March 2020, and the big, bad, mysterious, coronavirus called covid-19 arrives on our shores after leaving a trail of death and destruction in Asia.
And what did covid-19 run up against? Lemon grass, turmeric, vervain, bissy and ginger, all made into tea and reported to be strong repellants of the virus. But are herbal plants really a match for this destructive virus?
Even though some persons are confident that the use of herbs has kept the virus at bay or alleviated their symptoms, there is as yet no medical cure for the disease. The world eagerly awaits approval of a safe vaccine.
Donovan Whyte, herbal doctor and natural healing family practitioner, says persons are being reactive than proactive and are not taking responsibility for their own space. He advised that people need to practice proper hygiene and get fresh air every day.
“Hygiene is essential, washing the hands, bathing frequently, washing your clothes, cleaning your house and cleaning your surfaces,” Dr. Whyte said.
He stressed the importance of boosting one’s immune system to reduce the number of infections in the body. “Build the body in such a way that infections are not allowed to progress too greatly within the body,” Dr. Whyte advised.
“Infections love when there is low oxygen level in the body, so simple things such as exercise will improve the oxygen level in the body and this is a great way to decrease the rate of infection,” he added.
Other ways to boost your immune system according to Dr. Whyte, include the use of garlic. “Garlic is a natural antibiotic and can be had with fresh juices, including orange and grapefruit juice, and acts as a way to boost the immune system that kills infections.”
“Using garlic, ginger, pineapple and turmeric also gives the body lots of Vitamin C, and lots of antioxidants, natural antibiotics to prevent infections. Fresh vegetables are very good, ground provisions, and lots of fruits that Jamaica has in abundance, so we can’t complain about that,” he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend self-medication of any kind including antibiotics, as a prevention or cure for Covid-19.
Some online gurus suggest the downing of mega quantities of vitamin C. Others recommend stacking zinc doses, prompting the swift clearing of pharmacy shelves. Yet others sing the praises of colloidal silver, a compound natural-health buffs have long touted, or boiling massive amounts of garlic and downing the fragrant liquid.
Claims like these, however, generally fall into the too-good-to-be-true category. Immunologists say there is no proof these regimens help one’s immune system to fight Covid-19 and warn that cobbling together a natural treatment plan may do more harm than good.
According to the WHO, many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy.
For the time being, our best coronavirus defence don’t lend themselves to sexy, social media promos. Getting plenty of sleep, eating healthily, and managing stress levels all help to improve overall immune status.
The spread of the coronavirus has caused a global public health crisis that has caused Jamaica and other countries to introduce curfews, issue stay-at-home orders and limit non-essential businesses. At press time more than 4,000 Jamaicans have tested positive for covid-19 and 93 have died.
I know of the work of Dr. Donovan Whyte, who advises that by eating fruits, vegetables, little or no flesh and ground provisions every day will keep the body healthy. Get rid of anything white in your food group, because that colour is a sign that the food has been processed, he will tell you. And I agree.
Loved this !! I just have to say as much as I enjoyed the article, the graphics brought pure Joy to me. 🙂
Great article, excellent tips on how to stay healthy in these times.
‘Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’,