Caribbean Folk Medicine
A syncretic blend of African, Indigenous Taíno, and European herbal traditions shaped by the islands' rich biodiversity.
Caribbean Islands
History & Philosophy
Origins
Caribbean folk medicine formed from the intersection of African healing traditions carried by the transatlantic slave trade, the surviving plant knowledge of the indigenous Taíno people, and later European colonial medicine.
Core philosophy
The tradition treats everyday plants as a first line of care, woven into daily domestic life rather than reserved for specialist treatment, with bush tea and home remedies passed down through family lines.
Practiced today
Bush medicine remains an active, everyday practice across the Caribbean islands, often used alongside conventional healthcare rather than as a replacement, with strong regional variation in plant use from island to island.
Herbs, foods & remedies
97 herbs traditionally used within Caribbean Folk Medicine — most often for Digestive Issues, Fever, Skin Health.
Ackee
Blighia sapida
Aloe Vera (Caribbean)
Aloe vera
Annatto (Roucou)
Bixa orellana
Arrowroot
Maranta arundinacea
Balm (Lemon Balm)
Melissa officinalis
Bay Rum Tree
Pimenta racemosa
Billy Webb (Sour Sop Bark)
Simarouba glauca
Bitter Aloe (Caribbean)
Aloe barbadensis
Bitter Bush
Austroeupatorium inulifolium
Bizzy Nut
Cola nitida
Black Castor (Palma Christi)
Ricinus communis
Black Nightshade
Solanum americanum
Black Sage
Cordia curassavica
Bois Bande
Richeria grandis
Breadfruit Leaf
Artocarpus altilis
Calalue (Callaloo)
Amaranthus viridis
Calypso Bush (Lantana)
Lantana camara
Candle Bush
Senna alata
Carrot
Daucus carota
Cassava Leaf
Manihot esculenta
Catnip (Caribbean)
Nepeta cataria
Cerasee (Bitter Melon)
Momordica charantia
Chandelier Plant (Kalanchoe)
Kalanchoe pinnata
Christmas Bush
Chromolaena odorata
Christophene (Chayote)
Sechium edule
Clammy Cherry
Cordia obliqua
Coconut
Cocos nucifera
Cocorite Palm
Acrocomia aculeata
Contigo Bark
Quassia amara
Copaiba (Caribbean)
Copaifera langsdorffii
Cow Foot (Bauhinia)
Bauhinia purpurea
Crowfoot Grass
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
Custard Apple
Annona squamosa
Damiana (Caribbean)
Turnera diffusa
Dog Blood Bush
Rivina humilis
Duppy Gun
Ruellia tuberosa
Eucalyptus (Caribbean)
Eucalyptus globulus
Fever Grass (Lemongrass)
Cymbopogon citratus
Garlic (Caribbean)
Allium sativum
Genip (Guinep)
Melicoccus bijugatus
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