Yuh have a fever? Headache? Sinus problem? I remember being given this as a child when I had these ailments. The beautiful evergreen leaf of life was an effective fever reducer for many Jamaican kids growing up in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Now when you have the flu they load you up with pills. But here is an alternative that is just as effective without the side effects of modern medicine. We call it 'leaf of life' but it's known by other names. Native to Madagascar, it's also called 'miracle leaf', 'life plant', 'Goethe plant', the 'Mexican love plant', but scientists call it Bryophyllum pinnatum. How it reach yah, mi nuh know, but the plant can usually be found in any local Jamaican garden, sometimes not even planted there, but it is a resilient plant that only needs a little water for it to take root and spring up. It can also be stored as a potted plant. Suh weh it good fah? Respiratory Problems be gone The 'leaf of life'
Author: S. Gordon-Jeffery For Jamaican people and other Caribbean nationals, there are just some herbs and spices we have to have in our kitchen. One of them we can't do without is garlic. We use it to season our meats and add an interesting kick in flavour to our pot. We are a people who strongly believe in natural remedies and have discovered that garlic is excellent for "cutting down di preshah", referring to drinking garlic tea when blood pressure spikes. In fact, many of our elders here in Jamaica use it as an interim remedy for hypertension until they can get to the doctor for medication. And folks who are concerned with keeping their blood pressure at a safe level insist on using it in the preparation of nearly every meal!