COMMON MEDICINAL PLANTS OF PORTLAND, JAMAICA
A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN
the MAROON COMMUNITY,
the PORTLAND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (PEPA)
and
CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL ETHNOMEDICINAL EDUCATION and RESEARCH
(CIEER)
Funded by
USAID, PEPA,
CIEER, and the Peace
Corps
INTRODUCTION
When Columbus landed on Jamaica in 1494, it was inhabited by
peaceful Tiano Indians. Evidence collected by archaeologists
suggests that the tribe had not lived on the island much before
the year 1000. Under Spanish occupation, which began in 1509,
the Tiano Indian became extinct and gradually African slaves
were brought in to provide the labor force. In 1655 an English
expeditionary force landed at Passage Fort and met with little
resistance other than that which was offered by a small group
of Spanish settlers and a larger number of African escaped slaves
who took refuge in the mountains. The Spaniards abandoned the
island after about five years, but the escapees and their descendants,
who became known as Maroons, waged war against the new colonists
for 80 years until the 1730s although there was another brief
rebellion in 1795. The Cockpit Country in Trelawny, or 'Look
Behind Country,' is the region where the Leeward Maroons hid,
and around Nanny Town in Portland is the site where the Windward
Maroons remained, are still the homes of some of their descendants.
Since the Maroons arrival more than 350 years ago, the Maroon
people have maintained a close relationship to the local flora
and have identified the uses of numerous plants as medicine.
Jamaica has been called the Island of Springs, and the luxuriance
of the vegetation is striking (its Tiano name, Xaymaca, meant
land of wood and water). There are reported to be about 3,300
species of flowering plants alone, 923 (28%) of which are endemic
meaning they are only found in Jamaica no where else in the
world. Jamaica ranks second only to Cuba in terms of percentage
of endemic species in the Caribbean. Today, however agricultural
cultivation is putting much of Jamaica's flora at risk of extinction.
Jamaica was once almost entirely forested, today however, only
an estimated six percent of the land remains virgin forest.
A great many plant species are now classified as endangered.
BACKGROUND
Since the fall of 1999 the principle investigator, Summer Austin
resided in Port Antonio, serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
During this time, six collaborators have been identified including
three males, and three females. These individuals are well respected
in the community and posses a wealth of knowledge about the
medicinal/therapeutic properties of the local herbs and roots.
The collaborating herbalists are very willing to share their
knowledge and initiate the proposed project. All participants
have agreed to work cooperatively to have their knowledge permanently
documented and returned to the local community. Preliminary
information including more than 85 plant species commonly used
here for ailments ranging from the common cold, diarrhea, sexual
dysfunction, to even cancers have been recorded. Contact with
the local herbarium keeper has been established and they have
expressed their willingness to provide assistance in the identification
of collected specimens and the permanent scientific documentation
of dried plant specimens.
