Last Sunday I scrubbed myself from head to toe with comfrey leaves. When I got to Kingston everyone complimented me on how good my skin looked and how fresh and young I looked. Naturally the conversation turned to the issue of health and before long they were insisting that I tell them my secrets. I obliged, and they were so appreciative that I thought I should share a few of them with you. Here goes:

*For fifteen minutes of every waking hour, I stretch and flex my muscles while making a special effort to inhale deeply. This keeps me pain-free –for the most part–and keeps melancholy, lethargy and depression at bay.

* I ensure that my diet includes a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, mushrooms and seaweed.

* Of course there are the various teas that I drink. One of my favourites is blue vervain, a herb that I was introduced to by my mother many decades ago when I was a child of ten. My mother who had 12 children in addition to yours truly, was always using blue vervain, especially after giving birth with the help of Aunt Jonesy, the most celebrated midwife in my community. A seasoned folk-medicine healer, she taught me many things.

One day as my sister and I were at play at our home in Salt Spring she fell and all but tore off her left ear. Only a bit of skin held it up. My mother washed the torn ear with Dettol before reattaching it with her bare hands. She then chewed some logwood leaves to a poultice and used it to dress the ear, before sending my sister off to the clinic in Meggie Top in Hatfield. When my sister got there the nurse saw no need to stitch it. She just cleaned it up some more. Over time it healed perfectly.

There are many stories I could tell you about my mother who passed away under mysterious circumstances after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. However, in the interest of time and space I’ll save some of them.

For now it’s enough to tell you that as a result of her influence I am the spritual person I am today. I’m not Superman; there are times when I get the flu, and fall prey to melancholy and depression just like everyone else, but I always rally, with the help of the Almighty, and discover a little more about the wondrous world of herbs and healing with a view to preserving my health and I hope, through this column, yours!

Buckston Harrison is well known for his work as a herbalist, especially in western Jamaica. He resides in Sheffield, Westmoreland.

Huber’s salt substitute

Years ago when I got this basic recipe from a Rastafarian friend, I never dreamt it would become such an indispensable culinary accessory.

However, especially since I am staying away from that great killer, sodium chloride, a.k.a salt, I have come to appreciate the substitute that is this highly nutritious combination of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and pimento seeds. It is my hope that you will too.

Ingredients

* 1 cup Cayenne pepper

* 2 dozen pimento seeds

* Juice of 3-4 lemons

Method

*Place pimento seeds and cayenne pepper in a bottle with lemon juice

*Let ferment for a few days

*Loosen cap every few days to release some of the pressure.

NB: You can use this from day one; however, within two months the lemon juice will turn from clear to cloudy and the sauce will be really ready.

Thomas ‘Bongo Tommy’ Huber is a Swiss national who migrated to Westmoreland’s Retrieve District 10 years ago. He is a naturalist who lives off the land and is deeply involved in an ongoing effort to create Jamaica’s next generation of exotic fruit trees.

From the mailbox:

Buckston

Is it safe to take high blood pressure medications along with Muira Puama?

Reader

Dear Reader

No. Take either one or the other.

Buckston

Hi Buckston

I am a reader of your articles and I look forward to them all the time but this time I’m in need of your help. I have a friend who has bone cancer and is in dire need of your advice.

Reader

Dear Reader

Start taking folic acid and leafy green vegetabes right away. Take Minerals such as zinc, magnesium and manganese. Drink green bissy, red and blue marine algae. However, keep consulting your doctor.

Buckston

Buckston and Huber’s Alternative is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, cure, prevention or treatment of disease. You may send your questions and comments to thealternative@jamaicaobserver.com.