October 15, 2025 • 33 mins
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What if the medicine you need was growing right outside your door? We sit down with author and farmer Aleya Fraser to trace the living thread of Caribbean herbalism as she details in her new book Caribbean Herbalism: Traditional Wisdom and Modern Herbal Healing.
Together, we unpack the tension between modern convenience and disappearing habitats, and we get practical about what to do next: how to identify plants safely, why relationship matters more than hype, and where citizen science can meet peer-reviewed research without losing soul. We talk creolization—the way Indigenous, African, European, and South Asian traditions fused into today’s remedies—and why names matter, from “guinea hen weed” to Latin binomials that help us translate across islands.
If you’re in the diaspora or on the islands, you’ll find clear steps to reconnect: sit with elders, join a local farm or foraging group, support growers protecting habitats, and keep a simple log of what teas and tinctures do for your body. This conversation opens a another gate into herbal practices that are accessible, rigorous, and deeply Caribbean—where story and science enrich each other and wellness returns to the commons. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share with a friend who loves bush tea, and leave a review to help more listeners find these roots.
Aleya Fraser is a land steward and ethnobotanist with a strong lineage of land-based people. She has spent the last 12 years managing and founding farms and deepening her herbal knowledge through communing with elders, practice, and scientific research. Aleya uses her bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology as well as the ancestral wisdom in her fingertips to guide her studies and research interests. She blends her upbringing in Maryland with a strong focus on Trinidadian roots in her writings. She is considered a pollinator of people and weaver of landscapes. Aleya managed and cofounded farms in Baltimore City, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Northwest Virginia, and now, in her ancestral lands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She can be found on Instagram (@naturaleya) or online at naturaleya.substack.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to Strictly Facts, a guide to Caribbean
history and culture, hosted byme, Alexandra Miller.
Strictly Facts teaches thehistory, politics, and activism
of the Caribbean and connectsthese themes to contemporary
music and popular culture.
Hello, hello everyone.
(00:20):
Welcome back to another episodeof Strictly Facts, a guide to
Caribbean history and culture,where we connect the dots
between history, culture, and intoday's episode, wellness.
And so today we are diving intothe world of Caribbean
herbalism, a tradition rich inwisdom and healing, more deeply
and more rooted.
In our modern, fast-paced world,we often lose touch with the
(00:45):
earth beneath our feet, but forgenerations, Caribbean
communities have turned to theland for physical and emotional
healing through the use of localplants and herbs.
There have long been establisheda relationship between people
and the land and the herbaltraditions that have been part
of that.
In this episode, we'll reflecton the ways these practices
(01:07):
remain relevant today andconsider how we can all learn
from them.
Whether we're rooted in theCaribbean or in the diaspora,
building a stronger connectionto where we come from,
physically and emotionally, canshape our well-being in ways we
cannot have otherwiseunderstood.
Joining us today is AaliyahFraser, the author of Caribbean
(01:29):
Herbalism, Traditional Wisdomand Modern Herbal Healing, a
brand new book that is out rightnow.
So I'll make sure to link it forall you in our show notes.
And so, Aaliyah, thank you somuch for joining us.
Why don't you kick us off withyou know telling us a little
about yourself, um, yourconnection to the Caribbean and
what inspired your work inCaribbean herbalism, wellness,
(01:53):
and agriculture.
SPEAKER_00 (01:55):
Yes, thank you for allowing me to be here.
I'm really excited to connectwith your listeners.
My father's from Trinidad andTobago, uh, came as a teenager
to the States with his mother,and my mother is actually from
the Midwest.
So I have both of those uhlineages inside of me.
But I grew up with a very strongCaribbean influence.
(02:17):
We would go to Trinidad forsummers, even without my
parents, they would ship off meand my cousins down there.
As all of us had theseexperiences.
I'm still shocked.
Like we were on planes at fiveby ourselves, but I'm I'm really
grateful for that.
And so I grew up, you know, withCarnival.
I was a Carnival baby.
I played still pen and alwaysreally wanted to keep that
(02:42):
Caribbean connection going intomy adulthood as well.
And um, when I played Stillpenin college, my still pen teacher
was a Trinidadian.
It was called Pan Masters StillOrchestra and out of DC.
And he taught me for free, Mr.
Leonard Jack.
But he always said, I'll teachyou for free if you like really
(03:03):
keep this connection going.
So I always think of that as thereason why I moved back to
Trinidad because he planted thatseed that it was possible.
So, you know, long journeythrough I was farming in
Maryland.
I formed a couple different farmcollectives, but then I got
this, you know, internal urge,spirit was calling me back to
(03:25):
Trinidad.
So I started researchingdifferent farms that I could
work on and different peoplethat I could connect with in
Trinidad.
And I think that was around 2017when I went to spend a month
there just to like, that'll bemy longest trip as an adult.
And yeah, just all the all thedoors opened.
(03:47):
And I ended up meeting myhusband on that trip, and he's a
Trinidadian as well.
So I moved there.
Um, you know, we had along-distance relationship, and
I moved there in 2020 to settlein in our business, uh, working
with chocolate and cacao.
And yeah, it's it's been anincredible journey.
Um, like I was saying, I startedout farming.
(04:10):
So for me, the connection toherbs was always the land and
growing and land stewardship.
I would be weeding these plantsfrom the garden and knowing and
feeling that they had otheruses.
So I turned to research, Iturned to herbalist in my area
that I could ask questions toand started documenting more.
(04:32):
And then once I moved toTrinidad, I didn't have a garden
like I had in the States wherewe were selling vegetables, but
I was living in the middle ofthe rainforest.
So I had all these plants thatare literally used to create
Western medicine at my disposalto study.
And I met ethnobotanists namedFrancis Morion, who really took
(04:56):
me under his wing and we wouldgo interviewing elders.
I was holding the tape recorderand doing transcriptions.
And that's where it hit me thatI wanted to, you know, really
bridge that gap with elderknowledge and modern knowledge
with the plants.
And yeah, so from there, yeah,the rest is history, and we've
been rocking ever since in thislane of Caribbean herbalism and
(05:20):
land stewardship andethnobotany.
SPEAKER_01 (05:23):
You bring up a really interesting point in sort
of your more recentunderstanding and love for for
agriculture.
I think, you know, even to hearthis experience of your work in
ethnobotany, um, you know, andrecording elder stories
certainly is something that I'malso very passionate about.
(05:43):
Um but I think, you know, for alot of us, these are things that
we come to, as you sort of alsosaid, these are things that we
come to as we're like roundingout our adult life, right?
Um, but what was sort of yourexperience understanding the
impact and the importance of,you know, Caribbean herbalism
(06:05):
even as a child, right?
We might not have called itthat.
Um, but to see granny, I mix upsomething or whatever, right, at
home.
What were those sort ofexperiences like for you that,
you know, may have also helpedfield um your life experiences
early on and your careerexperiences early on?
And if any, what sort ofchallenges did you feel like you
(06:27):
experienced sort of maintainingthis balance between Caribbean
herbalism and also this likemodern globalized world that we
also live in today?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Yeah, that's a really good question.
One of my first memories that Ifeel like sparked farming in
particular was like growing upand seeing my grandmother and
her sisters sharing things fromtheir yard.
You know, I always felt like noone should be hungry, especially
in a Caribbean country wherepeople are sharing mangoes and
avocados.
And yeah, it was just thatcommunal effort to take care of
(06:59):
each other.
And more specifically withherbs, you know, my grandmother
always had a garden and she wasalways taking us through it,
pointing out things.
I love the uh Caribbean grannyquestion, our auntie question,
like, you know what that is for?
And it's like a question and ananswer because they they want to
tell you what it's for, but theywant to see what you know.
(07:20):
And so I think my first memoryfor sure is aloe's.
Um, and it was very empoweringto like you get a bug bite,
because I used to get horrible,horrible reactions to bug bites
in Trinidad, and they thoughtsomething was wrong with me, but
they just say, go pick some aloeand you know, you know, put it
on yourself.
And so, and you you would feelbetter.
(07:41):
So it wasn't, it wasn't someabstract idea of healing.
It was like very tangible.
Um, my grandmother also taughtus how to prune with the moon
and like when to prune things sothat they'll grow tall or so
that they can be bushy.
She used to always talk about umpeople in the neighborhood would
(08:01):
always try to teefer plants andhow you know people with bad
energy teeth your plant and thenit die.
So just all of those ancestralwisdoms that are just being
passed on through storytellingwas really important.
Um, when I think of challenges,my mother-in-law uh is also
really deep into plants andherbs and really, you know, into
(08:25):
transferring that knowledge.
And I interviewed her for mybook and the interview's in
there, and she mentions how theconvenience is kind of like one
of the challenges.
So back in the day, it was moreconvenient to get a plant from
your yard because that was closeby and the pharmacy was far
(08:46):
away.
But now, because ofindustrialization and
urbanization, you can't findthose plants in your yard, but
the pharmacy is on the corner.
So, you know, when we rewire ourbrains to think of what's really
convenient and what's um what'savailable to us, you know,
that's important.
But at the same time, we'refighting urbanization and these
(09:09):
habitats for these plants beinglost.
And I see it for myself when I'mtalking to like true bushmen who
go into the forest to get herbs.
They they talk about how theyhave to go further and further.
They have to walk for hoursversus minutes to find the
plants that they're looking for.
So part of my work too is um,yeah, repopulating these plants
(09:32):
in the wild.
And I have a 20-acre estate inTrinidad that's in the mountains
where a lot of these plants aregrowing, and I want to create a
space where we're propagatingthese plants, giving them to
people, and also just preservingthose habitats so that um, you
know, people can see thesethings as convenient as well.
SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
I think that's such a beautiful story for a lot of
reasons.
But I think, you know, for thesake of time, I will say I think
there are a decent bit of usthat are aware and even still
use, you know, some of Granny'sold remedies, etc.
Right.
Um but we don't necessarily havethis awareness and passion for
(10:15):
agriculture um in that same way.
And that I mean, maybe becauseif you live in fire and how much
land you have to, you know,plant uh that's a whole nother
story we won't get into, but forthe sake of um time, could you
sort of map for us what thatrelationship has been like for
(10:36):
you?
Because I think, you know, fromreading the book, it's more than
just, you know, knowing thataloe can heal a mosquito bite,
right?
Or that we can use Cersei forthis, or um what has it been
like in terms of understandingyour relationship between
agriculture and wellness in alot of ways?
SPEAKER_00 (10:55):
Yeah, I think agriculture and and being
surrounded by these plants hasreally helped me be, you know, a
wellness practitioner because,well, a friend called me an
embodied practitioner oncebecause I'm I don't consider
myself an herbalist.
Like I don't know enough totreat other people because you,
(11:15):
you know, that takes a lot of alot of time to get to know a
person, their body.
But I'm the one who you come towhen you're like, I want to find
guinea hen wheat in the wild.
Where can I find it?
And I'll and I'll show you howto identify it and get the right
plant.
And it's because I'm I'm livingwith these plants, I'm working
with them on my body, on myself,on my family.
(11:37):
So yeah, you it's this, it's therelationship that I think I've
built with the plants because ofbeing in agriculture, whereas
sometimes herbalism can be umdivorced from that relationship.
You know, you go online and youlook up what you have and you're
like, oh, I could use this forthat.
And that relationship isn'tthere.
(11:58):
And that doesn't mean the plantswon't work, but I I encourage
people to build thatrelationship.
Even if you can't grow the plantyourself, do the research, learn
about how it grows, learn aboutwhere it grows, learn about the
traditional knowledge around theplant, not just what the modern
research is saying as well.
SPEAKER_01 (12:16):
You make a really interesting point in that, you
know, it's more than just simplyunderstanding, right?
One thing that I found reallyinteresting about your book,
Caribbean Herbalism, is that,you know, these things can be
challenging, right?
It's not necessarily the most umevident thing in a lot of ways
for us to document certainstories and histories that are
(12:40):
passed down from generations.
Um, but then I think in a lot ofways, Caribbean herbalism goes a
little bit of a step further, orit's a combination of a lot of
things, right?
You don't have interviews withelders, you walk us through
certain plants, etc.
Um, how did the book come aboutfor you at this stage in your
life and in your career and sortof what were some of the
(13:00):
difficulties you faced inresearching and even compiling
the book?
SPEAKER_00 (13:05):
Yeah, um it was an alignment for sure of like
prayer, following spirit,persistence, because I've just
known that I was on this pathwith the land and the plants,
and I knew I needed to sharebecause I have been blessed
basically to get thisinformation from so many people
that also told me you need to besharing this information.
(13:28):
So I had started writing onSubstack, and through there a
publisher found me and asked ifI would write this book.
I didn't feel like I was ready,but you know, it's like, well,
this is a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity, of course, to do
what I've been saying that Iwanted to do.
So it has been difficult, youknow, like as a mom, a business
(13:50):
owner, but because it was aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity,
I knew I had to prioritize itand by any means necessary.
And that meant, you know, takingtime to myself, um, using my
advance to travel the Caribbeanand collect more stories.
So, like going to Guyana, goingto Barbados, all of that I knew
(14:10):
was really important to, youknow, round up this book.
So yeah, I just I had toprioritize those things.
And it was really fruitful.
And um, and the people that Imet along the way, you know,
sometimes you feel like you areextracting some knowledge, but
there's this reciprocity thatcomes with um not just going to
(14:33):
an elder and saying, what's thisgood for?
Like that's our least favoritequestion.
It's like, um, what's yourfavorite herb from childhood?
What was your favorite bush tea?
Um, usually these relationshipsstart with me helping them in
some other way.
You know, I have an eldermidwife in in southern Trinidad
that I like to visit becauseshe's just a wealth of
(14:56):
knowledge.
And she lives by herself.
So, you know, we're gonna gothere and help her with her
garden first.
We're gonna bring her food andfruits that she likes and um
yeah, and just really againbuilding the relationships with
the people you're learning from,just like you're building
relationships with the plants,makes it a lot easier.
Yeah.
And elders, as you know, theythey have their ways and they're
(15:19):
looking at you sideways, like,are you really serious about
this?
So once you show that you areserious and you're gonna really
um pass down these traditionshow they want them to be done, I
find the floodgates ofinformation open and um and it
was a pretty easy processaltogether.
Probably the hardest part wasresearching the modern side.
(15:40):
Like I had to spend a lot oftime with scientific journals
and um yeah, I had to paythrough different paywalls to
get access to things because I'mnot at a university, but it was
really, really, really importantto do that.
And right now I've workinghopefully on another series of
essays or books because I'm onsabbatical at Oak Spring Garden
(16:03):
Foundation, and they have a rarebook library with these
first-hand accounts from the1600s to 1700s from the
explorers slash colonizers whocame and extracted knowledge.
And it's really hard to read andgo through these accounts, but
it's also fascinating becausethese are the these plants have
(16:25):
the same names, they they havethe same uses.
So you can see that likeunbroken thread of of knowledge
that like modern medicine isjust catching up to.
So it's it's not easy, but it'sfun.
And I feel like I'm a adetective at a lot of times
uncovering these things.
SPEAKER_01 (16:43):
I really enjoyed that third chapter because it
for me was um sort of a placewhere I was like, okay, that's
what I know from you know,familial ancestral knowledge and
not necessarily having, youknow, had to do the sort of like
scientific journal.
Yeah, yeah.
(17:04):
But like for it to really cometogether and understand, you
know, how both meld together, aswell as your own personal
connections to theserelationships, you know, I
thought that was a beautifulpart of the way chapter three
came together.
How would you sort of describethe relationship between these
two aspects of herbalism andhealing?
(17:26):
You know, how have you blendedthe two between the science and
the ancestral wisdom andknowledge in your own experience
and um practices?
And how perhaps has writingCaribbean herbalism helped
deepen your understanding of howtraditional and Western medicine
can work together?
SPEAKER_00 (17:46):
Yeah, yeah.
I always say that modern iscatching up to ancestral, and
that's you know, it's a goodthing in our society now.
We still want that um thatvalidation from quote unquote
science.
And that's okay.
Like I don't throw eitherknowledge away because they're
both important and they build oneach other.
(18:08):
But because nowadays, you know,you know, our ancestral
knowledge and our grandmotherscan tell us how to take things
and, you know, drink a cup ofthis a day, put three leaves.
But as we get further andfurther away from our
grandmothers being able to tellus that, we do probably need
science to to standardize thingsa bit.
(18:30):
And if we're not using thesethings on ourselves and building
this citizen science, um, Ithink it will get lost.
So I'm really big on citizenscience.
I really hope one day we can beall coming together and sharing
how we're using these plants andhow they're affecting us so that
it can like inform Westernmedicine as well.
(18:50):
And I was recently at aconference in Barbados through
the Biocultural EducationInstitute.
And um what was really importantthere is like there were medical
doctors, there were chemists,there were physicists, there
were nutritionists, and therewere practitioners, like herbal
medicine practitioners.
And it was it was heaven for mebecause we're so isolated.
(19:14):
But to know there's a group ofpeople knowing that we have to
work together.
Whereas I can, you know, go tosomeone at UE that I met at this
conference and give an idea forsomething that they should be
researching.
One of my favorite um topicsthat was uh research was like
the medicinal benefits of Maubi.
And this woman was anutritionist and chemist and
(19:34):
really broke it down.
Like we know Maubi is medicinal,um, but she she put it in the
paper.
Another woman was testing thedifference in taking a tea
versus a tincture.
So, like, how does rum extractum medicinal qualities?
And it just demystifies it forpeople.
And it's not just this, oh, whatgranny said, it's it's what's
(19:56):
actually happening in your bodyand with the plants.
And I think um just like allaspects of life, like medicine
is ripe for decolonization.
Like the facts that we know oftoday, like that's something
that was developed over the lastcouple centuries.
Like back in these documentsfrom the 160 and 1800s that I'm
(20:17):
reading, these are actualmedical doctors from Europe who
are describing the uses ofplants and how they use them in
their practices.
Granted, they got theinformation from indigenous
people and Africans, but it wasrecognized as these all go
together.
So I think in the future, um, Ireally hope that we see these
(20:38):
ways of knowing, you know,coalesce more so that, you know,
the these healing remedies canbe more accessible and feel like
it's not magic or like it's notsomething that we can't do, that
is something that everybody cando.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
I really like that point of citizen science.
Um, because I think when westart to think of herbs and
remedies, it's very to a point,it's very like medicinal, right?
But it's a very serious part ofour culture as well, right?
And so um of course, you know,it's it is for the mosquito bite
(21:15):
or whatever, right?
But it's also very much sort ofingrained in who we are, how we
approach things, as you evensaid earlier, right?
We had to find a source when thepharmacy was 50 miles away, sort
of thing, right?
So it is very much so a part ofhow who we are and how we've
evolved even beyond just, youknow, having to heal a
(21:37):
particular ailment.
What cultural significance doyou believe sort of these herbal
practices hold for Caribbeanpeople and how do they sort of
represent us as being resilientpeople, as self-sufficient
people, um, especially in thisongoing relationship with
nature?
SPEAKER_00 (21:56):
Yeah, yeah.
I see herbal medicine andtraditional knowledge around
plants as like the epitome ofCaribbean creolization.
Um, I talk about that in thebook a little bit.
And a woman named Cheryl Lanz,she's a Trinidadian.
Um, she passed away, but shewrote a lot of um papers and
(22:17):
books around creolization ofplant knowledge.
Because, you know, the Caribbeanis a mix of indigenous, African,
European, Southeast Asiancultures.
And within, you know, anyparticular remedy, you can pull
out which parts came fromindigenous knowledge, which will
(22:37):
be the plants, because a lot ofthe plants we use are native to
the Americas and the Caribbean.
But then how we create a ritualaround it might have come from
our African ancestors.
The same with the SoutheastAsian and the European
influences, like they're justall in there.
So for me, since our culture issuch a Creole culture, these
(22:58):
plants give us a pathway tounderstand how people and plants
move around the world throughdifferent means.
The Atlantic slave trade,indentured servitude.
Um, there's just a lot to pullout there and learn from our
ancestors because of that mix.
Uh, I like to call like thetonics and Jamaican tonics,
you're real familiar with,they're the epitome of
(23:21):
creolization because they willhave like Comfrey root in it,
which is from Europe.
They'll have barks from Africaand barks from the Caribbean,
and, you know, and they'rehealing for all the nations.
So I think it's really importantfor us to recognize that and see
that, and see that because ofthe Caribbean herbalism is
(23:43):
storytelling and is part of ourculture, it's this unbroken
thread of knowledge that that wecan tap into at any time to like
learn more about our past andand figure out ways to be more
resilient and healthy in thefuture.
It's just, to me, it's just theperfect way to blend and learn
(24:03):
about our cultures andappreciate them for all of the
different magic that they'vebrought and the healing that
they've brought to us and ourancestors.
SPEAKER_01 (24:13):
Um, I think I would be remiss to have you here and
not ask you what is sort of yourfavorite, um, you know, whether
that's a herb or a tincture or atonic, um, what is, you know,
one of your favorites in termsof what it does for us, but also
how it's become part of your ownindividual practice?
SPEAKER_00 (24:33):
Um, I would say guinea and weed.
That's also known as gully rootin Trinidad, Anamu in different
parts of the Spanish Caribbean,and the Latin name is Petaveria
Aliacie.
And that plant, it's one ofthose that I have been looking
for for a long time.
I have this thing where like Ihear about a plant and then I
(24:55):
have to see it and feel itbefore I'm gonna use it.
And I was walking with my friendFrancis along my road leading to
my house, and we're smellinglike, you know, guinea hemweed
has a strong smell.
It smells like a chicken coopalmost.
Like it has a lot of sulfurcompounds.
And there was like a whole hedgeof it growing right there in my
(25:18):
neighborhood.
So from there, I started usingit for different things.
It's it's known for being umgood for your immune system,
good for clearing out yoursinuses.
It's also known for cleaning outyour womb.
And I've started makingtinctures of it.
It's the one herb that I feelcomfortable telling people you
(25:38):
should use this for this or thatbecause it is pretty universally
used.
I have a friend even in theAmerica who isn't even
Caribbean, but she had a boutwith cancer, and she swears by
it for helping with her symptomswith um with her bout with
cancer.
My father, I've given it to himfor his high blood pressure, and
he's seen it go down with mygrandmother.
(26:03):
Uh, she she had lost her smelldue to COVID, and that was
pretty scary because she was 94at the time.
But I made her a sign of steamwhere she like, you know, we
boiled it and she smelled it andshe got her smell back.
So it's just one of those plantsthat I have um a real personal
connection with because it growsin my neighborhood, and I've
also seen its healing benefitsin real time.
(26:26):
And it's it's pretty well known.
It's one of those you could buyonline as well.
You don't have to grow ityourself, but it is something,
even if you live in the States,you can grow in a pot indoors
and um and get its healingbenefits.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
I'm always really intrigued to learn the various
names that we call things witheven within the region.
Um, just because, of course, weall stemming from various
linguistic backgrounds andthings, but uh that I think was
also, you know, a very importantpart of me sort of like learning
and understanding how wenavigate, um, how we all come
(27:02):
together, right?
That, you know, if you callsomething one thing and I call
it something else, we sort of doneed to figure out the bridge to
connect each other.
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
Umfort, unfortunately, Latin names help
with that talking acrosscultures.
Of course, they're not they'renot from us because our names
give so much information, likeGuinea hen weed.
My mother-in-law told me theycalled it that because they put
it in the um guinea hen cages tohelp keep pests away.
(27:31):
So, yeah, yeah, there's just somuch in a name and talking
across cultures about them.
SPEAKER_01 (27:38):
I would also be remiss to have you here and not
ask my favorite question of all.
Um, and so what is your sort offavorite example of how this
history of Caribbean herbalismshows up in our popular culture?
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
It doesn't, I I say it doesn't show up as much
anymore because like calypso andsoca, everything was so a lot of
them were rooted in Caribbeanherbalism and the plants that
were used.
Bill Rogers has an amazing songcalled Weed Woman that just
names all the plants that youcould think of and is about a
woman at a market selling them.
(28:13):
So I encourage everyone to lookup that song.
Um, Sugar Aloe's is a is afamous calypso artist, and you
know, that just meansbittersweet.
You know, sugar is sweet andaloes are bitter.
So you see that.
Um, and in books, I would say myfavorite book that really
bridges that is Nalo Hopkinson.
(28:33):
She has a lot of books aboutCaribbean culture, but her one
called Brown Girl in the Ring, Iactually just picked it up from
a free library in the middle ofVirginia, which was wild because
it was a very country town.
And um reading it, you know, thethe main character lives with
her grandmother, who's anherbalist and spiritual healer
who grows herbs in her garden,prepares bush.
(28:56):
And what I love about this book,and it's a big um a passion of
mine to talk about the future.
So Afrofuturism.
And this is a book aboutpost-apocalyptic Toronto and
how, you know, once thepharmacy's closed, what are we
still gonna have?
We're still gonna be able tohave our gardens, we're still
gonna be able to grow um ourplants.
(29:18):
So keeping this connection umthrough the culture, through the
books, so that we know that evenif it's not in our generation,
you know, at some point, if allthese things aren't as
available, we still need tounderstand how to heal
ourselves.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
I will bring us a little bit to a close, um, sort
of just asking you your ownpersonal expertise and sort of
advice for our listeners,especially for some of us who
may be um either growing up inthe diaspora or just sort of
wanting to navigate, you know,understanding who we are and
(29:55):
where we come from in a veryintentional way.
And I think the land Is a bigpart of that and one that, you
know, can for some because ofsome sort of like systemic
issues and all of these thingsbe one that's difficult to
navigate, right?
And so how do or rather whatrole do you hope this book will
(30:18):
play in our preservation ofCaribbean herbalism and herbal
traditions and reallyunderstanding who we are and
where we come from and even toyour point about being us sort
of us understanding ourfuturistic selves, um, what do
you think the future holds forCaribbean herbalists and
herbalism for all of us?
SPEAKER_00 (30:40):
Yeah, I I like that earlier you mentioned reading
the book.
You you saw yourself and you sawyou saw what you already knew
and had learned from yourfamily.
So I really hope people read itand and look at Caribbean
herbalism as not this otherthing that um that isn't
accessible again.
Like I want it to feelaccessible, I want it to build
(31:01):
curiosity, I want people tobuild relationships with the
land and plants and yourcommunity.
And with that, you know, nomatter where you are, that looks
like joining foraging groups,volunteering at your local farm,
um, connecting with localherbalists, and those types of
things are accessible to us,even if you can't have your own
(31:22):
piece of land to grow on.
Also means supporting the peoplewho are growing these plants and
preserving these landscapes.
And then the last piece would bethe community aspect.
Like I said in the beginning,like Caribbean herbalism is a
communal effort.
Like if your grandmother didn'tknow everything, you know, she
went to her her sister or herbrother, and everyone holds a
(31:45):
piece of that knowledge.
So it's like connecting thepuzzle pieces again.
Um, and in order to connectthose puzzle pieces, we do have
to sit down with the elders inour community.
Even if they're not in yourfamily, um, it's it's really
important to really sit withthese elders.
They're they're ripe withinformation, they want to share
(32:05):
it and, you know, do whatever wecan to sit at their feet.
So that again, that thread of ofknowledge won't be broken again.
A lot of people say that it isbeing broken and we're losing
this and that, but I'moptimistic that many of us
aren't losing it.
You know, it's not mainstreamyet, but I I do think it it is
(32:27):
becoming more and moremainstream.
I mean, you know, the medicalsystem is expensive, people are
losing faith.
And I think we need to, we needto have faith in it because it
is accessible to us, but at thesame time, we should be
exploring these other modalitiesthat are accessible to us.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:44):
Beautifully said.
Um, well, I really enjoyedreading your book.
I think for all of our listenerstuned in, be sure to check out
Caribbean Herbalism, TraditionalWisdom, and Modern Herbal
Healing.
It is a wonderful book.
I will link it in the show notesfor all of us to check out in
our free time.
And Aliyah, it was so greathaving you.
(33:05):
I appreciate you sharing all ofyour knowledge and wisdom with
us on Strictly Facts and for ourlisteners.
Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
And for our listeners, till nexttime, lickle more.
Thanks for tuning in to StrictlyFacts.
Visit StrictlyFacts Podcast.comfor more information from each
episode.
Follow us at Strictly Facts Podon Instagram and Facebook and at
(33:28):
Strictly Facts PD on Twitter.
Welcome to Strictly Facts, a guide to Caribbean
history and culture, hosted byme, Alexandra Miller.
Strictly Facts teaches thehistory, politics, and activism
of the Caribbean and connectsthese themes to contemporary
music and popular culture.
Hello, hello everyone.
(00:20):
Welcome back to another episodeof Strictly Facts, a guide to
Caribbean history and culture,where we connect the dots
between history, culture, and intoday's episode, wellness.
And so today we are diving intothe world of Caribbean
herbalism, a tradition rich inwisdom and healing, more deeply
and more rooted.
In our modern, fast-paced world,we often lose touch with the
(00:45):
earth beneath our feet, but forgenerations, Caribbean
communities have turned to theland for physical and emotional
healing through the use of localplants and herbs.
There have long been establisheda relationship between people
and the land and the herbaltraditions that have been part
of that.
In this episode, we'll reflecton the ways these practices
(01:07):
remain relevant today andconsider how we can all learn
from them.
Whether we're rooted in theCaribbean or in the diaspora,
building a stronger connectionto where we come from,
physically and emotionally, canshape our well-being in ways we
cannot have otherwiseunderstood.
Joining us today is AaliyahFraser, the author of Caribbean
(01:29):
Herbalism, Traditional Wisdomand Modern Herbal Healing, a
brand new book that is out rightnow.
So I'll make sure to link it forall you in our show notes.
And so, Aaliyah, thank you somuch for joining us.
Why don't you kick us off withyou know telling us a little
about yourself, um, yourconnection to the Caribbean and
what inspired your work inCaribbean herbalism, wellness,
(01:53):
and agriculture.
SPEAKER_00 (01:55):
Yes, thank you for allowing me to be here.
I'm really excited to connectwith your listeners.
My father's from Trinidad andTobago, uh, came as a teenager
to the States with his mother,and my mother is actually from
the Midwest.
So I have both of those uhlineages inside of me.
But I grew up with a very strongCaribbean influence.
(02:17):
We would go to Trinidad forsummers, even without my
parents, they would ship off meand my cousins down there.
As all of us had theseexperiences.
I'm still shocked.
Like we were on planes at fiveby ourselves, but I'm I'm really
grateful for that.
And so I grew up, you know, withCarnival.
I was a Carnival baby.
I played still pen and alwaysreally wanted to keep that
(02:42):
Caribbean connection going intomy adulthood as well.
And um, when I played Stillpenin college, my still pen teacher
was a Trinidadian.
It was called Pan Masters StillOrchestra and out of DC.
And he taught me for free, Mr.
Leonard Jack.
But he always said, I'll teachyou for free if you like really
(03:03):
keep this connection going.
So I always think of that as thereason why I moved back to
Trinidad because he planted thatseed that it was possible.
So, you know, long journeythrough I was farming in
Maryland.
I formed a couple different farmcollectives, but then I got
this, you know, internal urge,spirit was calling me back to
(03:25):
Trinidad.
So I started researchingdifferent farms that I could
work on and different peoplethat I could connect with in
Trinidad.
And I think that was around 2017when I went to spend a month
there just to like, that'll bemy longest trip as an adult.
And yeah, just all the all thedoors opened.
(03:47):
And I ended up meeting myhusband on that trip, and he's a
Trinidadian as well.
So I moved there.
Um, you know, we had along-distance relationship, and
I moved there in 2020 to settlein in our business, uh, working
with chocolate and cacao.
And yeah, it's it's been anincredible journey.
Um, like I was saying, I startedout farming.
(04:10):
So for me, the connection toherbs was always the land and
growing and land stewardship.
I would be weeding these plantsfrom the garden and knowing and
feeling that they had otheruses.
So I turned to research, Iturned to herbalist in my area
that I could ask questions toand started documenting more.
(04:32):
And then once I moved toTrinidad, I didn't have a garden
like I had in the States wherewe were selling vegetables, but
I was living in the middle ofthe rainforest.
So I had all these plants thatare literally used to create
Western medicine at my disposalto study.
And I met ethnobotanists namedFrancis Morion, who really took
(04:56):
me under his wing and we wouldgo interviewing elders.
I was holding the tape recorderand doing transcriptions.
And that's where it hit me thatI wanted to, you know, really
bridge that gap with elderknowledge and modern knowledge
with the plants.
And yeah, so from there, yeah,the rest is history, and we've
been rocking ever since in thislane of Caribbean herbalism and
(05:20):
land stewardship andethnobotany.
SPEAKER_01 (05:23):
You bring up a really interesting point in sort
of your more recentunderstanding and love for for
agriculture.
I think, you know, even to hearthis experience of your work in
ethnobotany, um, you know, andrecording elder stories
certainly is something that I'malso very passionate about.
(05:43):
Um but I think, you know, for alot of us, these are things that
we come to, as you sort of alsosaid, these are things that we
come to as we're like roundingout our adult life, right?
Um, but what was sort of yourexperience understanding the
impact and the importance of,you know, Caribbean herbalism
(06:05):
even as a child, right?
We might not have called itthat.
Um, but to see granny, I mix upsomething or whatever, right, at
home.
What were those sort ofexperiences like for you that,
you know, may have also helpedfield um your life experiences
early on and your careerexperiences early on?
And if any, what sort ofchallenges did you feel like you
(06:27):
experienced sort of maintainingthis balance between Caribbean
herbalism and also this likemodern globalized world that we
also live in today?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Yeah, that's a really good question.
One of my first memories that Ifeel like sparked farming in
particular was like growing upand seeing my grandmother and
her sisters sharing things fromtheir yard.
You know, I always felt like noone should be hungry, especially
in a Caribbean country wherepeople are sharing mangoes and
avocados.
And yeah, it was just thatcommunal effort to take care of
(06:59):
each other.
And more specifically withherbs, you know, my grandmother
always had a garden and she wasalways taking us through it,
pointing out things.
I love the uh Caribbean grannyquestion, our auntie question,
like, you know what that is for?
And it's like a question and ananswer because they they want to
tell you what it's for, but theywant to see what you know.
(07:20):
And so I think my first memoryfor sure is aloe's.
Um, and it was very empoweringto like you get a bug bite,
because I used to get horrible,horrible reactions to bug bites
in Trinidad, and they thoughtsomething was wrong with me, but
they just say, go pick some aloeand you know, you know, put it
on yourself.
And so, and you you would feelbetter.
(07:41):
So it wasn't, it wasn't someabstract idea of healing.
It was like very tangible.
Um, my grandmother also taughtus how to prune with the moon
and like when to prune things sothat they'll grow tall or so
that they can be bushy.
She used to always talk about umpeople in the neighborhood would
(08:01):
always try to teefer plants andhow you know people with bad
energy teeth your plant and thenit die.
So just all of those ancestralwisdoms that are just being
passed on through storytellingwas really important.
Um, when I think of challenges,my mother-in-law uh is also
really deep into plants andherbs and really, you know, into
(08:25):
transferring that knowledge.
And I interviewed her for mybook and the interview's in
there, and she mentions how theconvenience is kind of like one
of the challenges.
So back in the day, it was moreconvenient to get a plant from
your yard because that was closeby and the pharmacy was far
(08:46):
away.
But now, because ofindustrialization and
urbanization, you can't findthose plants in your yard, but
the pharmacy is on the corner.
So, you know, when we rewire ourbrains to think of what's really
convenient and what's um what'savailable to us, you know,
that's important.
But at the same time, we'refighting urbanization and these
(09:09):
habitats for these plants beinglost.
And I see it for myself when I'mtalking to like true bushmen who
go into the forest to get herbs.
They they talk about how theyhave to go further and further.
They have to walk for hoursversus minutes to find the
plants that they're looking for.
So part of my work too is um,yeah, repopulating these plants
(09:32):
in the wild.
And I have a 20-acre estate inTrinidad that's in the mountains
where a lot of these plants aregrowing, and I want to create a
space where we're propagatingthese plants, giving them to
people, and also just preservingthose habitats so that um, you
know, people can see thesethings as convenient as well.
SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
I think that's such a beautiful story for a lot of
reasons.
But I think, you know, for thesake of time, I will say I think
there are a decent bit of usthat are aware and even still
use, you know, some of Granny'sold remedies, etc.
Right.
Um but we don't necessarily havethis awareness and passion for
(10:15):
agriculture um in that same way.
And that I mean, maybe becauseif you live in fire and how much
land you have to, you know,plant uh that's a whole nother
story we won't get into, but forthe sake of um time, could you
sort of map for us what thatrelationship has been like for
(10:36):
you?
Because I think, you know, fromreading the book, it's more than
just, you know, knowing thataloe can heal a mosquito bite,
right?
Or that we can use Cersei forthis, or um what has it been
like in terms of understandingyour relationship between
agriculture and wellness in alot of ways?
SPEAKER_00 (10:55):
Yeah, I think agriculture and and being
surrounded by these plants hasreally helped me be, you know, a
wellness practitioner because,well, a friend called me an
embodied practitioner oncebecause I'm I don't consider
myself an herbalist.
Like I don't know enough totreat other people because you,
(11:15):
you know, that takes a lot of alot of time to get to know a
person, their body.
But I'm the one who you come towhen you're like, I want to find
guinea hen wheat in the wild.
Where can I find it?
And I'll and I'll show you howto identify it and get the right
plant.
And it's because I'm I'm livingwith these plants, I'm working
with them on my body, on myself,on my family.
(11:37):
So yeah, you it's this, it's therelationship that I think I've
built with the plants because ofbeing in agriculture, whereas
sometimes herbalism can be umdivorced from that relationship.
You know, you go online and youlook up what you have and you're
like, oh, I could use this forthat.
And that relationship isn'tthere.
(11:58):
And that doesn't mean the plantswon't work, but I I encourage
people to build thatrelationship.
Even if you can't grow the plantyourself, do the research, learn
about how it grows, learn aboutwhere it grows, learn about the
traditional knowledge around theplant, not just what the modern
research is saying as well.
SPEAKER_01 (12:16):
You make a really interesting point in that, you
know, it's more than just simplyunderstanding, right?
One thing that I found reallyinteresting about your book,
Caribbean Herbalism, is that,you know, these things can be
challenging, right?
It's not necessarily the most umevident thing in a lot of ways
for us to document certainstories and histories that are
(12:40):
passed down from generations.
Um, but then I think in a lot ofways, Caribbean herbalism goes a
little bit of a step further, orit's a combination of a lot of
things, right?
You don't have interviews withelders, you walk us through
certain plants, etc.
Um, how did the book come aboutfor you at this stage in your
life and in your career and sortof what were some of the
(13:00):
difficulties you faced inresearching and even compiling
the book?
SPEAKER_00 (13:05):
Yeah, um it was an alignment for sure of like
prayer, following spirit,persistence, because I've just
known that I was on this pathwith the land and the plants,
and I knew I needed to sharebecause I have been blessed
basically to get thisinformation from so many people
that also told me you need to besharing this information.
(13:28):
So I had started writing onSubstack, and through there a
publisher found me and asked ifI would write this book.
I didn't feel like I was ready,but you know, it's like, well,
this is a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity, of course, to do
what I've been saying that Iwanted to do.
So it has been difficult, youknow, like as a mom, a business
(13:50):
owner, but because it was aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity,
I knew I had to prioritize itand by any means necessary.
And that meant, you know, takingtime to myself, um, using my
advance to travel the Caribbeanand collect more stories.
So, like going to Guyana, goingto Barbados, all of that I knew
(14:10):
was really important to, youknow, round up this book.
So yeah, I just I had toprioritize those things.
And it was really fruitful.
And um, and the people that Imet along the way, you know,
sometimes you feel like you areextracting some knowledge, but
there's this reciprocity thatcomes with um not just going to
(14:33):
an elder and saying, what's thisgood for?
Like that's our least favoritequestion.
It's like, um, what's yourfavorite herb from childhood?
What was your favorite bush tea?
Um, usually these relationshipsstart with me helping them in
some other way.
You know, I have an eldermidwife in in southern Trinidad
that I like to visit becauseshe's just a wealth of
(14:56):
knowledge.
And she lives by herself.
So, you know, we're gonna gothere and help her with her
garden first.
We're gonna bring her food andfruits that she likes and um
yeah, and just really againbuilding the relationships with
the people you're learning from,just like you're building
relationships with the plants,makes it a lot easier.
Yeah.
And elders, as you know, theythey have their ways and they're
(15:19):
looking at you sideways, like,are you really serious about
this?
So once you show that you areserious and you're gonna really
um pass down these traditionshow they want them to be done, I
find the floodgates ofinformation open and um and it
was a pretty easy processaltogether.
Probably the hardest part wasresearching the modern side.
(15:40):
Like I had to spend a lot oftime with scientific journals
and um yeah, I had to paythrough different paywalls to
get access to things because I'mnot at a university, but it was
really, really, really importantto do that.
And right now I've workinghopefully on another series of
essays or books because I'm onsabbatical at Oak Spring Garden
(16:03):
Foundation, and they have a rarebook library with these
first-hand accounts from the1600s to 1700s from the
explorers slash colonizers whocame and extracted knowledge.
And it's really hard to read andgo through these accounts, but
it's also fascinating becausethese are the these plants have
(16:25):
the same names, they they havethe same uses.
So you can see that likeunbroken thread of of knowledge
that like modern medicine isjust catching up to.
So it's it's not easy, but it'sfun.
And I feel like I'm a adetective at a lot of times
uncovering these things.
SPEAKER_01 (16:43):
I really enjoyed that third chapter because it
for me was um sort of a placewhere I was like, okay, that's
what I know from you know,familial ancestral knowledge and
not necessarily having, youknow, had to do the sort of like
scientific journal.
Yeah, yeah.
(17:04):
But like for it to really cometogether and understand, you
know, how both meld together, aswell as your own personal
connections to theserelationships, you know, I
thought that was a beautifulpart of the way chapter three
came together.
How would you sort of describethe relationship between these
two aspects of herbalism andhealing?
(17:26):
You know, how have you blendedthe two between the science and
the ancestral wisdom andknowledge in your own experience
and um practices?
And how perhaps has writingCaribbean herbalism helped
deepen your understanding of howtraditional and Western medicine
can work together?
SPEAKER_00 (17:46):
Yeah, yeah.
I always say that modern iscatching up to ancestral, and
that's you know, it's a goodthing in our society now.
We still want that um thatvalidation from quote unquote
science.
And that's okay.
Like I don't throw eitherknowledge away because they're
both important and they build oneach other.
(18:08):
But because nowadays, you know,you know, our ancestral
knowledge and our grandmotherscan tell us how to take things
and, you know, drink a cup ofthis a day, put three leaves.
But as we get further andfurther away from our
grandmothers being able to tellus that, we do probably need
science to to standardize thingsa bit.
(18:30):
And if we're not using thesethings on ourselves and building
this citizen science, um, Ithink it will get lost.
So I'm really big on citizenscience.
I really hope one day we can beall coming together and sharing
how we're using these plants andhow they're affecting us so that
it can like inform Westernmedicine as well.
(18:50):
And I was recently at aconference in Barbados through
the Biocultural EducationInstitute.
And um what was really importantthere is like there were medical
doctors, there were chemists,there were physicists, there
were nutritionists, and therewere practitioners, like herbal
medicine practitioners.
And it was it was heaven for mebecause we're so isolated.
(19:14):
But to know there's a group ofpeople knowing that we have to
work together.
Whereas I can, you know, go tosomeone at UE that I met at this
conference and give an idea forsomething that they should be
researching.
One of my favorite um topicsthat was uh research was like
the medicinal benefits of Maubi.
And this woman was anutritionist and chemist and
(19:34):
really broke it down.
Like we know Maubi is medicinal,um, but she she put it in the
paper.
Another woman was testing thedifference in taking a tea
versus a tincture.
So, like, how does rum extractum medicinal qualities?
And it just demystifies it forpeople.
And it's not just this, oh, whatgranny said, it's it's what's
(19:56):
actually happening in your bodyand with the plants.
And I think um just like allaspects of life, like medicine
is ripe for decolonization.
Like the facts that we know oftoday, like that's something
that was developed over the lastcouple centuries.
Like back in these documentsfrom the 160 and 1800s that I'm
(20:17):
reading, these are actualmedical doctors from Europe who
are describing the uses ofplants and how they use them in
their practices.
Granted, they got theinformation from indigenous
people and Africans, but it wasrecognized as these all go
together.
So I think in the future, um, Ireally hope that we see these
(20:38):
ways of knowing, you know,coalesce more so that, you know,
the these healing remedies canbe more accessible and feel like
it's not magic or like it's notsomething that we can't do, that
is something that everybody cando.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
I really like that point of citizen science.
Um, because I think when westart to think of herbs and
remedies, it's very to a point,it's very like medicinal, right?
But it's a very serious part ofour culture as well, right?
And so um of course, you know,it's it is for the mosquito bite
(21:15):
or whatever, right?
But it's also very much sort ofingrained in who we are, how we
approach things, as you evensaid earlier, right?
We had to find a source when thepharmacy was 50 miles away, sort
of thing, right?
So it is very much so a part ofhow who we are and how we've
evolved even beyond just, youknow, having to heal a
(21:37):
particular ailment.
What cultural significance doyou believe sort of these herbal
practices hold for Caribbeanpeople and how do they sort of
represent us as being resilientpeople, as self-sufficient
people, um, especially in thisongoing relationship with
nature?
SPEAKER_00 (21:56):
Yeah, yeah.
I see herbal medicine andtraditional knowledge around
plants as like the epitome ofCaribbean creolization.
Um, I talk about that in thebook a little bit.
And a woman named Cheryl Lanz,she's a Trinidadian.
Um, she passed away, but shewrote a lot of um papers and
(22:17):
books around creolization ofplant knowledge.
Because, you know, the Caribbeanis a mix of indigenous, African,
European, Southeast Asiancultures.
And within, you know, anyparticular remedy, you can pull
out which parts came fromindigenous knowledge, which will
(22:37):
be the plants, because a lot ofthe plants we use are native to
the Americas and the Caribbean.
But then how we create a ritualaround it might have come from
our African ancestors.
The same with the SoutheastAsian and the European
influences, like they're justall in there.
So for me, since our culture issuch a Creole culture, these
(22:58):
plants give us a pathway tounderstand how people and plants
move around the world throughdifferent means.
The Atlantic slave trade,indentured servitude.
Um, there's just a lot to pullout there and learn from our
ancestors because of that mix.
Uh, I like to call like thetonics and Jamaican tonics,
you're real familiar with,they're the epitome of
(23:21):
creolization because they willhave like Comfrey root in it,
which is from Europe.
They'll have barks from Africaand barks from the Caribbean,
and, you know, and they'rehealing for all the nations.
So I think it's really importantfor us to recognize that and see
that, and see that because ofthe Caribbean herbalism is
(23:43):
storytelling and is part of ourculture, it's this unbroken
thread of knowledge that that wecan tap into at any time to like
learn more about our past andand figure out ways to be more
resilient and healthy in thefuture.
It's just, to me, it's just theperfect way to blend and learn
(24:03):
about our cultures andappreciate them for all of the
different magic that they'vebrought and the healing that
they've brought to us and ourancestors.
SPEAKER_01 (24:13):
Um, I think I would be remiss to have you here and
not ask you what is sort of yourfavorite, um, you know, whether
that's a herb or a tincture or atonic, um, what is, you know,
one of your favorites in termsof what it does for us, but also
how it's become part of your ownindividual practice?
SPEAKER_00 (24:33):
Um, I would say guinea and weed.
That's also known as gully rootin Trinidad, Anamu in different
parts of the Spanish Caribbean,and the Latin name is Petaveria
Aliacie.
And that plant, it's one ofthose that I have been looking
for for a long time.
I have this thing where like Ihear about a plant and then I
(24:55):
have to see it and feel itbefore I'm gonna use it.
And I was walking with my friendFrancis along my road leading to
my house, and we're smellinglike, you know, guinea hemweed
has a strong smell.
It smells like a chicken coopalmost.
Like it has a lot of sulfurcompounds.
And there was like a whole hedgeof it growing right there in my
(25:18):
neighborhood.
So from there, I started usingit for different things.
It's it's known for being umgood for your immune system,
good for clearing out yoursinuses.
It's also known for cleaning outyour womb.
And I've started makingtinctures of it.
It's the one herb that I feelcomfortable telling people you
(25:38):
should use this for this or thatbecause it is pretty universally
used.
I have a friend even in theAmerica who isn't even
Caribbean, but she had a boutwith cancer, and she swears by
it for helping with her symptomswith um with her bout with
cancer.
My father, I've given it to himfor his high blood pressure, and
he's seen it go down with mygrandmother.
(26:03):
Uh, she she had lost her smelldue to COVID, and that was
pretty scary because she was 94at the time.
But I made her a sign of steamwhere she like, you know, we
boiled it and she smelled it andshe got her smell back.
So it's just one of those plantsthat I have um a real personal
connection with because it growsin my neighborhood, and I've
also seen its healing benefitsin real time.
(26:26):
And it's it's pretty well known.
It's one of those you could buyonline as well.
You don't have to grow ityourself, but it is something,
even if you live in the States,you can grow in a pot indoors
and um and get its healingbenefits.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
I'm always really intrigued to learn the various
names that we call things witheven within the region.
Um, just because, of course, weall stemming from various
linguistic backgrounds andthings, but uh that I think was
also, you know, a very importantpart of me sort of like learning
and understanding how wenavigate, um, how we all come
(27:02):
together, right?
That, you know, if you callsomething one thing and I call
it something else, we sort of doneed to figure out the bridge to
connect each other.
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
Umfort, unfortunately, Latin names help
with that talking acrosscultures.
Of course, they're not they'renot from us because our names
give so much information, likeGuinea hen weed.
My mother-in-law told me theycalled it that because they put
it in the um guinea hen cages tohelp keep pests away.
(27:31):
So, yeah, yeah, there's just somuch in a name and talking
across cultures about them.
SPEAKER_01 (27:38):
I would also be remiss to have you here and not
ask my favorite question of all.
Um, and so what is your sort offavorite example of how this
history of Caribbean herbalismshows up in our popular culture?
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
It doesn't, I I say it doesn't show up as much
anymore because like calypso andsoca, everything was so a lot of
them were rooted in Caribbeanherbalism and the plants that
were used.
Bill Rogers has an amazing songcalled Weed Woman that just
names all the plants that youcould think of and is about a
woman at a market selling them.
(28:13):
So I encourage everyone to lookup that song.
Um, Sugar Aloe's is a is afamous calypso artist, and you
know, that just meansbittersweet.
You know, sugar is sweet andaloes are bitter.
So you see that.
Um, and in books, I would say myfavorite book that really
bridges that is Nalo Hopkinson.
(28:33):
She has a lot of books aboutCaribbean culture, but her one
called Brown Girl in the Ring, Iactually just picked it up from
a free library in the middle ofVirginia, which was wild because
it was a very country town.
And um reading it, you know, thethe main character lives with
her grandmother, who's anherbalist and spiritual healer
who grows herbs in her garden,prepares bush.
(28:56):
And what I love about this book,and it's a big um a passion of
mine to talk about the future.
So Afrofuturism.
And this is a book aboutpost-apocalyptic Toronto and
how, you know, once thepharmacy's closed, what are we
still gonna have?
We're still gonna be able tohave our gardens, we're still
gonna be able to grow um ourplants.
(29:18):
So keeping this connection umthrough the culture, through the
books, so that we know that evenif it's not in our generation,
you know, at some point, if allthese things aren't as
available, we still need tounderstand how to heal
ourselves.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
I will bring us a little bit to a close, um, sort
of just asking you your ownpersonal expertise and sort of
advice for our listeners,especially for some of us who
may be um either growing up inthe diaspora or just sort of
wanting to navigate, you know,understanding who we are and
(29:55):
where we come from in a veryintentional way.
And I think the land Is a bigpart of that and one that, you
know, can for some because ofsome sort of like systemic
issues and all of these thingsbe one that's difficult to
navigate, right?
And so how do or rather whatrole do you hope this book will
(30:18):
play in our preservation ofCaribbean herbalism and herbal
traditions and reallyunderstanding who we are and
where we come from and even toyour point about being us sort
of us understanding ourfuturistic selves, um, what do
you think the future holds forCaribbean herbalists and
herbalism for all of us?
SPEAKER_00 (30:40):
Yeah, I I like that earlier you mentioned reading
the book.
You you saw yourself and you sawyou saw what you already knew
and had learned from yourfamily.
So I really hope people read itand and look at Caribbean
herbalism as not this otherthing that um that isn't
accessible again.
Like I want it to feelaccessible, I want it to build
(31:01):
curiosity, I want people tobuild relationships with the
land and plants and yourcommunity.
And with that, you know, nomatter where you are, that looks
like joining foraging groups,volunteering at your local farm,
um, connecting with localherbalists, and those types of
things are accessible to us,even if you can't have your own
(31:22):
piece of land to grow on.
Also means supporting the peoplewho are growing these plants and
preserving these landscapes.
And then the last piece would bethe community aspect.
Like I said in the beginning,like Caribbean herbalism is a
communal effort.
Like if your grandmother didn'tknow everything, you know, she
went to her her sister or herbrother, and everyone holds a
(31:45):
piece of that knowledge.
So it's like connecting thepuzzle pieces again.
Um, and in order to connectthose puzzle pieces, we do have
to sit down with the elders inour community.
Even if they're not in yourfamily, um, it's it's really
important to really sit withthese elders.
They're they're ripe withinformation, they want to share
(32:05):
it and, you know, do whatever wecan to sit at their feet.
So that again, that thread of ofknowledge won't be broken again.
A lot of people say that it isbeing broken and we're losing
this and that, but I'moptimistic that many of us
aren't losing it.
You know, it's not mainstreamyet, but I I do think it it is
(32:27):
becoming more and moremainstream.
I mean, you know, the medicalsystem is expensive, people are
losing faith.
And I think we need to, we needto have faith in it because it
is accessible to us, but at thesame time, we should be
exploring these other modalitiesthat are accessible to us.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:44):
Beautifully said.
Um, well, I really enjoyedreading your book.
I think for all of our listenerstuned in, be sure to check out
Caribbean Herbalism, TraditionalWisdom, and Modern Herbal
Healing.
It is a wonderful book.
I will link it in the show notesfor all of us to check out in
our free time.
And Aliyah, it was so greathaving you.
(33:05):
I appreciate you sharing all ofyour knowledge and wisdom with
us on Strictly Facts and for ourlisteners.
Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
And for our listeners, till nexttime, lickle more.
Thanks for tuning in to StrictlyFacts.
Visit StrictlyFacts Podcast.comfor more information from each
episode.
Follow us at Strictly Facts Podon Instagram and Facebook and at
(33:28):
Strictly Facts PD on Twitter.
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