An
article on the medicinal properties of Virgin Islands trees, by UVI
faculty member Dr. Robert Nicholls, has been published by The
Journal of the American Botanical Council. Persons interested
in traditional remedies, natural history and folklore of the Virgin
Islands and Caribbean will be intrigued by the 12-page article,
titled "Medicinal Trees of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Neighboring
Islands." The article is included in the journal's
HerbalGram81 (2009, Vol. 81, 32-43).
Noting that the ongoing conservation of the islands' trees is critical, Dr. Nicholls said he hopes the project heightens public awareness of how trees were used by V.I. forbearers. "Young people are our major constituents ... they will eventually be the custodians of our trees," Dr. Nicholls said.
An associate professor in Social Sciences, Dr. Nicholls is the
author of the book Remarkable Big Trees in the U.S. Virgin
Islands: An Eco-heritage Guide to Jumbie Trees and Other Trees of
Cultural Interest (2006 UVI). He acquired information about
the medicinal uses of tree products while researching island trees
for the book.
The medicinal research shows that traditional cures in the form of gargles, poultices, compresses, teas, inhalants and lotions were prepared from the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, fruit, resin and bark of local trees. The article includes 14 color photos of island trees. It discusses remedies traditionally obtained from Lignum Vitae (Wood of Life), Bay Rum, Silk cotton (Jumbie Tree), Tamarind, Sandbox (Monkey-No-Climb), White Cedar, West Indian Locust (Stinking Toe), West Indian Cedar, Genip and West Indian Mahogany trees.
HerbalGram 81 can be purchased for $6.95 from the Botanical
Council's "International Store," at:
https://secure2.convio.net/abc/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1241
(scroll down to HerbalGram 81).
An online version, with a simple layout, can be viewed at this
link:
http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue81/article3380.html">
For more information contact Dr. Nicholls at (340) 693-1184 or send
email to rnicholl@uvi.edu.