Jamaican Root Tonics with Ina Vandebroek

The Caribbean is home to an amazing assortment of botanicals from merging cultures. In Jamaica, wild plants are used to make special fermented “root tonics” not only as an enjoyable beverage, but also to boost health. Some of these are even attributed with aphrodisiac properties for men and women. In the first episode of Season 2, I speak with Dr. Ina Vandebroek—ethnobotanist and expert in wild Caribbean plants used as food and medicine. We discuss root tonics and other local delights like “bissy” and “cerassee”, which also play an important role in food and medicine in Jamaica. Dr. Ina Vandebroek’s research is at the intersection of floristics, ethnobotany, community health, and conservation. She has twenty years of experience in research and international cooperation projects in Bolivia, the Caribbean and New York City. Currently she conducts fieldwork in Jamaica, in partnership with local community members and academic colleagues. Ina studies plant diversity and the dynamics of traditional plant knowledge and use for primary healthcare, food security, and other subsistence needs by local communities in remote rural areas, as well as by Caribbean immigrants in New York City. Her research shows that, even in times of general loss of biological and cultural diversity worldwide, the use of wild and semi-domesticated plants remains popular in many communities today and forms an integral part of their biocultural heritage. Her work with Caribbean and Latino immigrants in New York City has important implications for healthcare delivery to underserved communities. Ina uses the results of her research to develop training activities with healthcare providers in New York City to help establish a better dialogue and trusted relationship between providers and their Caribbean and Latino patients, and promote culturally sensitive healthcare for all. @InaVandebroek on Twitter About Cassandra Quave Prof. Cassandra Quave is best known for her ground-breaking research on the science of botanicals. Scientists in her research lab work to uncover some of nature’s deepest secrets as they search for new ways to fight life-threatening diseases, including antibiotic resistant infections. Working with a global network of scientists and healers, Cassandra and her team travel the world hunting for new plant ingredients, interviewing healers, and bringing plants back to the lab to study. Besides research, Cassandra is an award-winning teacher, and has developed and taught the college classes “Food, Health and Society” and “Botanical Medicine and Health” at Emory University. @QuaveEthnobot on Twitter @QuaveEthnobot on Instagram @QuaveMedicineWoman and “Foodie Pharmacology with Cassandra Quave” on Facebook