Creole apothecary : rimed razié, traditional medicine
"The rimed-razié is a good thing, when it's no longer possible to overcome supernatural problems, it's a solution". Such are the words of a market vendor in front of her teeming stall, with the candor of a fervent practitioner. "Some people go to the doctor and don't get what they want. We take these herbs and start afresh.
Over the course of three centuries, our forefathers drew on their long-forgotten memory to develop a complex, ordered symbolic system that enabled them to transmit and consolidate their worldviews, cosmogonies and beliefs.
According to E. Nossin, "the very creation of traditional pharmacopoeia is a striking example of their prodigious ability to intelligently integrate the elements of their environment through the mold of their respective ancestralities, turning them into effective tools in both the material and immaterial spheres. It is therefore an important marker of our intangible Caribbean heritage. It is destined to become part of the contemporary rhythm of life, to become an element of sustainable development, and also to enrich world heritage.
The plants that are essential for medicinal use and their use can only be understood if we accept a different operating logic in which therapeutic power is attributed not to the ingredient itself, but to the entity that governs it.
So, if the plant is effective, it's because it's part of nature, which is fused with man. It's as if plant species were themselves living entities endowed with soul, intelligence and will, and that in each of them operate unknowable forces. And it is precisely because they are able to mobilize these unknowable forces that traditional intercessors - the traditherapists - serve as mediators during invocation rituals".
This way of thinking undoubtedly conceals a complex worldview in which all that lives and exists does not always assume a visible, easily detectable or knowable form.
The traditional pharmacopoeia of Martinique (PTM), a multicultural heritage
"With around a thousand ingredients - plants being the majority - the traditional pharmacopoeia known by the Creole name rimed-razié (herbalism) is the offshoot of an empirical medicine with multiple ancestral roots. And it faithfully reflects its holistic nature.
The effects sought by the ingredients of traditional Martinique pharmacopoeia are always versatile and synergistic. Fully integrated into the cultural fabric, they remain inseparable from the traditional naturalist way of thinking, in which all elements are linked and interact. That's why there's no clear-cut separation between the different functions attributed to them. Thus, they are just as likely to cure a liver ailment as to bring back an unfaithful husband or make a business deal succeed, to expel a flim (mucus) as to ensure a good sale or a good catch, to stop an inflammation as to win a yawl race... Hence the great diversity of products, including those from the animal, mineral and vegetable kingdoms, not forgetting a few home-made products and other mixtures, including those borrowed from other pharmacopoeias: eau de Cologne des Princes, tincture of arnica, etc.
In the service of a consciousness-based medicine, which primarily treats the person carrying the disease (often called "blesse", in the Bles Creole language) and not just the diseased organ, traditional pharmacopoeia features substances whose formation connotes a symbolic aspect that chemical composition can in no way reflect.
All the medications devised by our forefathers are designed to help the individual preserve his or her balance and, above all, dynamic unity. They are the fruit of knowledge passed down from generation to generation, but also of inventions marked by the traces of the original cultures.
Therapeutic practices
"As therapeutic practices are often ritualized and symbolized, it's not uncommon to come across medications where biological properties are not the determining factor. Indeed, the same ingredients are often recommended for very different ailments. Fumigations, ablutions or other ' baths ' form an important part of treatments, especially for those with a personalist causality", Emmanuel Nossin continues to point out.
The depolluting plants literally and figuratively
Beliefs and practices. The space in which you live must exude a positive and protective atmosphere. Insiders will tell you that the front of a house will include a whole series of magical, very specific plants such as the "Qui-vivra-verra". This is a croton with long green leaves spotted with yellow. This plant symbolizes hope. It should be placed in front of the house. Qui mourra saura" symbolizes the passing on of generations. It's also a croton, but with medium-sized leaves, also spotted green and yellow. It will be planted behind the house. Croton's scientific name: Codideum variegatum (Euphorbiaceae family); origin: Malaysia and East Pacific islands.
Magic and religion dictate that the foot of the chili pepper should also be placed behind the house: just as knives and sharp objects are not given as gifts, chili peppers are never given from hand to hand, and neither are lemons. The proper thing to do is to place it on a table and the person will take it.
The "Daily Bread", another magic plant, is also placed in front of the house, its scientific name is Dracaena sanderiana, it has long, green leaves, streaked with white, and resembles the Sceptre of Moses, yet another magic plant which like it will be in front of the house. Seven branches symbolizing the seven days of the week will be placed inside the house.
The "Reed of India", another name for cordyline, is also among the "chosen" plants, as are "Heart of Mary", "Crown of Christ", the name of Argalon, "Stronger-than-Man", and more recently "Blood of the Ashanti" or "Mussaenda", "Blood of Christ", "Tears of Mary", all with very evocative names. The latter are essential plants to have in your home, preferably in front of your window.
Despite these names, which constantly evoke religion, we can't help but think of the permanent syncretism that lies beneath. Here, nature plays an essential role, and a number of plants with positive vibrations, such as Arada and lemongrass, will purify the environment by warding off unhealthy waves, as well as improving it by repelling mosquitoes and other harmful insects. Positive plants absorb bad energy and protect the home.
A plant that cleans and resists. Sansevieria, a member of the Asparagaceae family, is a plant we all have in our gardens. It's also known as "Mother-in-law's tongue", because of the appearance of certain species. It looks like a multitude of tongues, long and erect, spying on you. There are many species and varieties of sansevieria. It is a plant with flat or cylindrical leaves that are quite often striated, with various dark-green graphics. They are highly aesthetic, depolluting and filter volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It is a succulent that produces a stem full of small white flowers with a discreet fragrance. Sansevieria hyacinthoide was introduced as an ornamental plant in the Lesser Antilles in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the right environment, Sansevieria hyacinthoide spreads by seed, leaf tips or rhizomes. It can cover large areas, eradicating neighboring vegetation in its path. It is an invasive plant that poses a threat to local flora.
A resilient plant that has helped to build resistance. During the period of Admiral Robert, Martinique experienced and endured a certain autarky, which made the population very creative out of necessity. A makeshift salt marsh was set up in Sainte-Anne, and coconut palms produced soap, which is still used today to produce oil. Self-production was essential for survival, and the Sansevieria hyacinthoide devoted itself to the task. It provided the inhabitants with what it could. Milling the leaves, extracting the juice and recovering the filaments were all necessary to obtain what came to be known as alpargates, a kind of Spanish shoe made from natural fibers.
Arada and other natural plants. Arada has always been necessary for the end-of-year clean-up. It is used to ward off bad luck, envy and jealousy, and has recently been recognized as one of the main active molecules in the composition of ivermectin, Professor Raoult's favorite drug for treating Covid-19. The ti-pompon, pompon-soldat and pomme-cochon mugwort grow in the wild. As the Amerindians used to prepare their arrows or capture certain fish that they put to sleep, toxic plants are far from being neglected, you just need to know how to dose them.
The started bath. Many plants have effective properties for combating bad vibrations and attracting prosperity and good energies wherever they are found. According to popular belief, if an aloe plant grows, it is attracting good fortune. If it dies, it's because it has absorbed the negative waves brought into the house by the presence of envious or ill-intentioned people.
The démaré bath, a blend of the leaves of these beneficial plants, is ideal for a harmonious start to the new school year, with excellent results, and a good start to the new year, boosted by the energy of the plants. Guava, soursop, orange, hibiscus, quenette(Mélicoccus bijugatus) and mango leaves are added to protective plants and other herbs to eliminate bad vibes. These will be mixed to prepare the bath, which will be exposed to the sun. Purifying baths are secret, performed before prayers, preferably on the first Friday of the month.
The daily spoonful of cod-liver oil and verbena tea will have preceded for a week the purgative reserved for internal cleansing, but these practices have become rare.
