Herbal Medicine in the Caribbean

Our people have benefited from herbal remedies for centuries. It has, in fact, been an integral part of our heritage, and continues to provide thousands with excellent health, as well as relief from a wide variety of ailments. However, scientific evaluation of these medicinal plants has only started in the Caribbean since the 1980's. The tried and trusted remedies, pioneered by our ancestors, are now beginning to gain a well-deserved credibility within the medical profession. For certain conditions, many would concede to the superior effectiveness of herbal remedies as opposed to conventional medicine. However, conventional and herbal therapy, when used integratively, may offer improved treatment of certain ailments.

Our Founder of our Eden herbs products (Dr. Gilbertha St.Rose) was St. Lucia's representative on the OAS (Organisation of American States) EBUTROP (Economic Biology of Underutilized Tropical Plants) project, which ended in 1989. St. Lucia benefited by acquiring a herbarium which at present has over 3,000 plants - both medicinal and non-medicinal.

Another great milestone in the development of our herbal medicines occurred with the formation of the TRAMIL (Traditional Medicines of the Islands) project in Haiti in 1982. TRAMIL's main aim is to provide scientific rationale for the traditional popular uses of plants for therapy in the Caribbean Basin. We are well into the fourth publication of a Caribbean Pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants. Dr. Lionel Robineau is the main driving force and coordinator of the project.

In April 1998 in Trinidad, our traditional herbal practitioners met with the scientific community for a three-day workshop on 'Herbal Medicines in the Caribbean'. This was highly successful and led to the formation of CARAPA (Caribbean Association of Researchers and Herbal Practitioners). The workshop was the joint effort of the University of the West Indies, the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA).

CARAPA has set up its secretariat at Pharmacology Unit, Department of Para-Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies – St. Augustine, REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO., Tel/fax: +868-663-8613; www.caribbeanherbs.org 

The steering group for CARAPA comprises one or more representatives from most of the Caribbean islands. CARAPA aims to facilitate Information exchange on herbal medicines and the conservation of local herbs, by networking to collate, analyze and disseminate information on the production, processing, marketing and institutional support for herbal medicines in the Caribbean and beyond.

In April 2008, at the  TRAMIL workshop, the birth of  Caribbean Association for Plant Science, Industry, Commerce and Use in Medicine [ CAPSICUM] occurred.

The Caribbean, with its rich tradition in herbal remedies, has begun a fruitful journey in educating its local people (as well as all over the world) on the benefits of herbal medicine. Eden Herbs is a  vehicle for that knowledge and tradition. We aim to provide to our Caribbean people (as well as worldwide) the benefits of that knowledge in the form of remedies for improved health and beauty.

The world trend now, is towards the use of herbal remedies, and away from conventional drugs (most of which are riddled with adverse side effects). Medical experts worldwide, despite the rapid rate of technological advancement, have accepted the superiority of natural herbal remedies in providing safe, environmentally friendly solutions to our growing health problems.