Madou, a refreshing drink
This is a refreshing local homemade drink, not available in the shops. It can be filtered and enjoyed chilled, with crushed ice, or mixed with 3 tablespoons of battery syrup, in which case no sugar is added.
Ingredients. Half a lemon, young lemon, orange or mandarin leaves, water, sugar, ice cubes.
Utensils. Sieve, saucepan, pitcher.
Preparation. Wash fresh leaves, crush vigorously in water. Add the juice of half a lemon. Let stand, then add sugar. Pour through a sieve just before serving over ice.
The mabi and the mabi wood
This shrub grows from Florida to Central America. It produces a highly refreshing, non-alcoholic drink made from the bark, known throughout the West Indies for its alleged aphrodisiac virtues. The tree is protected from man, its predator, who finds happiness in it, which is not a happiness for the tree, since its fame, undoubtedly overrated, is now, alas, on the verge of extinction. It measures 3 to 6 meters, and can reach 20 meters if the environment is favorable. Its dried bark, known as bois-mabi, can be used as an infusion to treat rheumatism, fatigue, diarrhea and, above all, impotence. It's a good diuretic, drains the liver and lowers blood pressure. It is also said to have aphrodisiac qualities. It is also used in cosmetics.
Ingredients needed for the drink. 2 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 pieces of mabi bark, 10 cloves, 2 bay leaves, dried orange peel or lemon peel, vanilla, cane sugar.
Toprepare the drink: Place everything except the sugar in a saucepan with the equivalent of 3 cups of water, over medium heat, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes, then switch off. Cover the pan and leave to stand for around 5 hours. Once the concentrate has cooled, pour it into a larger container to which we'll add the brown sugar, which we'll melt with 10 cups of water. Strain and store in the fridge. Serve chilled.
Banded wood, the West Indian viagra
Like Acalypha cat's tail, also known as fox tail or caterpillars, or the Crown of Christ, also known as Crown of Thorns, orHippomane mancinella, the Latin name for the mancenillium, a highly toxic plant, Richeria grandis grandis, whose vernacular name is pied de bois bandé, is also a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is a tree. According to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP), there are two recognized varieties of banded wood, Richeria grandis grandis (2012) and Richeria grandis gardneriana (1866). Richeria grandis grandis is the most widely used.
The tree grows in the West Indies. The bark is known as "bois bandé" (bandaged wood) because, although no studies have yet been carried out to prove it, some claim that it has highly aphrodisiac properties. It should not be confused with Muira puama, often misleadingly sold under this name, which grows in the Amazon rainforest and is part of the Brazilian pharmacopoeia, where it is known for its efficacy against infertility and libido problems. Scientific studies have proven the latter, adding that it also has many other benefits little known to the general public.
Richeria grandis grandis is typically a product designed for human well-being. The bark, reminiscent of cinnamon bark, is harvested from mature trees. To see its effectiveness, macerate 25 g of bark in 1 liter of rum for 2 months.
Indication. Richeria grandis grandis bark, commonly known as bois bandé, is widely used as an aphrodisiac, although no scientific study has really proven its effects. It is strongly contraindicated for cardiac patients. Do not exceed a dose of one liqueur glass.
Many people claim that it can be supplemented with ginseng or guarana. Ginseng(Panax ginseng), the rhizome of the ginseng plant in the Araliaceae family, is renowned for its energizing properties. Guarana(Paullinia cupana), also known as warana, is a climbing tropical shrub native to Brazil, whose seeds are used for its energizing properties.
Absinthe
In mainland France, absinthe is the name of an alcohol made from plants, one of which is called wormwood. It's a plant with revitalizing powers, known for its aphrodisiac properties. It is often found at mid-altitude along rivers, and sometimes in wooded areas. Its leaves are silky, anise-green and whitish on the underside. The alcohol is also called wormwood, and is produced by distilling or blending essences called wormwood spirit. Maceration produces the absinthe tincture or elixir. The traditional manufacturing method produces absinthes that are both highly aromatic and not very bitter. Known since ancient Egypt, wormwood is also reputed to be a particularly effective stomach remedy. A few drops of wormwood diluted in water are said to make the unpleasant effects of malaria and dysentery disappear. Absinthe has been given to children; the beverage is off-putting, but it is a good vermifuge, diuretic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Practitioners of traditional medicine often use it for rheumatism, but also to control high blood pressure.
Absinthe, the alcohol that drives you mad. Absinthe was a great success as a spirit in the 19thcentury , but it causes serious neurological intoxication to the point of being called the alcohol that drives you mad, and certain artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh are said to have paid for their abuse. It was banned in France from 1915 to 1988.
Absinthe bòkay or local absinthe. While this drink was banned in France, local absinthe drinkers still found and still find waiting on a corner of the bistro counter, a large bottle in which a branch in soaked rum. The greenish, bitter-tasting liquid inside is also called absinthe, but neither the preparation nor the branch has anything to do with the other absinthe: the "European" drink. Here, the bottle contains a branch of mugwort or artemisia. Mugwort is also known as male wormwood, used as an herbal tea for inappetence, painful periods and as an aperitif to get the day off to a good start. For all "connoisseurs", it's the tonic that shakes up your man, gives him a boost, stimulates blood flow and has very invigorating properties. For its tonic qualities, it is highly appreciated, and from dawn onwards, this alcohol is used as coffee by connoisseurs. It's easy to understand why it was never banned in Martinique: the local absinthe is in fact wormwood or artemisia, two plants in the same family as spearmint, and actually distant cousins of the other absinthe, the European one.
The local wormwood,artemisia annua or Chinese wormwood. Artemisia annua (Chinese wormwood) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. The branch is somewhat similar to that of European wormwood. Artemisinin, an active ingredient used in the treatment of malaria, is extracted from the plant. According to some rumours, this plant could be a remedy against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, but this remains to be proven.
