Press
Introduction History Music & Culture Plant Life Wildlife Philatelic Photo Gallery Discover St. Kitts












Nature Plants and Their Uses (Bush Medicine)

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
- used as a starchy vegetable in many local dishes.

Black Sage (Cordia curassavica)
- leaves are steeped to treat colds and cough.
 
Wild Sage (Lantana camara)
- used in a tea to treat colds and chills.
 
Flamboyant (Delonix regia)
- national flower of St.Kitts and Nevis.
 
White Cedar (Tabebuia heteropyhlla)
- used chiefly for posts and poles, but also used in boat building.
 
Soursop (Annona muricata L.)
- used to make ice-cream and preserves, and as a sedative for children.
 
Srew Pine (Pandanus utilis)
- leaves used to make baskets, place mats and other woven crafts.
 
Blood Flower/Milky-Milky (Asclepias curassavica)
- used to treat guinea worm and ringworm.
 
Jumbie Beads (Abrus precatorius)
- seeds used as decorations on handicrafts.
 
Seagrape (Cocoloba uvifera)
To relieve "presin" in children and for the relief of headaches
- fruits used for locally prepared jellies and wine-like beverages.
 
Wild Cilliment (Pimenta racemosa)
- leaves were soaked in rum and used to relieve soreness.
 
Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera)
The water is used for rehydration especially diarrhoea
- used for medicine, thatch, timber, fiber and copra.
 
Golden Apple (Spondias dulcis)
- fruits made into preserves or eaten when ripe.
 
Mahoe (Quararibea turbinata)
- stems were used for goad sticks and the bark as a rope substitute.
 
Joint Wood (Piper amalago)
- Used in a tea for colds and flu and as a laxative.
 
Tree Fern (Cyathea arborea)
- used by the Carib Indians to preserve and carry fire.

Ficus Citrofolia
- roots unite to form a trunk; were used in making guitars.
 
Wild Coffee (Casearia guianensis)
- easily identified by its distinct dark bark; used as fuel wood.
 
Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)
- used in making furniture, pipes, fences and pole
 
Warri Beads
- seeds used to play the game Warri, a game descendant from African Mankala, the oldest family of games in the World.
 
Hog Plum (Spondias mombin)
- used in a tea to stop diarrhoea or dysentery.
 
Silk Cotton Tree/Kapok (Ceiba pentandra)
- used in baths to relieve fatigue and to counteract poisoning
 
Onions (Allium Cepa)
- used to build resistance to colds, to relieve gas and indigestion, good for the heart
 
Bee Bush (Coralita)
- The leaves are used to reduce swellings, and for the use of diabetes and blood pressure
 
Yellow Dad, Dodder, Love vine (Cuscuta Americana)
- used for skin rashes, latta marks and looters
 
Long grass, Bed grass (Digitaria insullaris)
- A tea made from the leaf is used for belly aches, also used for the treatment of sores and cuts
 
Sweet Marjum (Origanium Marjorana)
- treatment for indigestion, colds and flu

Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensus)
- treatment of blood pressure, petal are used for tea

^ Return to Top




Discover Nevis What To Do WhereToStay Plan Your Trip Calendar of Events Links



Press

A Gideon-Cardozo Site Bookmark and Share