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Leaf of Life: The beneficial herb plant you never knew you needed ... until now.

    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...
Recent posts

Health benefits of garlic you didn't know about.

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!

Jamaican Legends: Tacky, the Akan slave warrior.

Of all the stories of Jamaica's colonial past, this one is by far the one we can never get enough! The brave, the brazen ambition of this African chief who was captured, but refused to be trampled. This is the story of Tacky.  Who was Tacky? Retrieved from internet images Oct. 25, 2020. Tacky belonged to the Akan people of West Africa and was originally from the Fante ethnic group located in the central region of what is now present day Ghana. Tacky (also spelled Takyi in his native language (Twi/Fante), was a prominent chief of his village and was unfortunately very much involved in the selling of his fellow Africans from the Ashanti, Nzema and Ahanta tribes, as captors to the British slave traders during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

How Annie Palmer became known as the White Witch of Rose Hall.

 There is a story, a legend really, often told by the Jamaican people to their children and to anyone who will listen. A story of intrigue, murder, romance and even betrayal.  This is the story of Annie Palmer, the infamous owner of the Rose Hall estate. The folklore of Annie Palmer has been told and retold countless times, but in this blog I seek to give a clear picture about this lady: who she was, her motivation and how she became known to Jamaicans as the White Witch of Rose Hall.

Jamaican Legend: The story of Three Finger Jack.

We will all agree that Jamaica has a rich history, rife with action-packed events and interesting characters. This article will be discussing a character spoken of in Jamaican history archives but little is known about him. We will attempt to give as much information as sources will allow into the life of Three Finger Jack. We know him as Three Finger Jack but his real name was Jack Mansong. It is said that his origins can be traced to the lushly green country of Gambia in West Africa. It is believed that Jack was enslaved at a plantation in St. Mary, but managed to escape and became the leader of a group of maroons who terrorised the white colonists in the hilly parish of St. Thomas (called St. Thomas in the East in colonial times).

Rice Bitters: The powerful detoxifier!

An exotic plant native to Southern and Southeast Asia (found predominantly in India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam), Andrographis paniculata, popularly known as rice bitters , is not a widely used plant in Jamaica. To its enthusiasts however, this plant is the perfect body detox solution. 

Guinea Hen Weed: The mysterious, powerful healing herb.

By S. Jeffery What are these plants? Yuh know the name? A few years ago (maybe 5 or 6 years) after one heavy shower of rain, my family and I noticed these plants growing in our back yard. We had no clue what they were, we thought they were some exotic weed. As I said, it just started growing in the backyard after some heavy June/July showers caused by a passing hurricane.