Bush Medicine of the Bahamas... New Book, ISBN 9780983767305
Rare Herbal Medicine Book: Bush Medicine of the Bahamas: A Cross-cultural Perspective from San Salvador Island, including Pharmacology and Oral Histories.
Authors: Jeffrey Holt McCormack; Kathleen Maier; Patricia B Wallens.
Hardcover, ISBN 9780983767305
Publisher: J H M Designs Publications, 2011.
Edition: 1st; Format: Large size hardcover; 396 pages, illustrated. Brand New in original shrink wrap. Printed on acid-free paper for longevity. Limited edition.
Bush Medicine of the Bahamas is the result of extensive ethnobotanical and scientific research on medicinal plants in the Bahamas. Approximately 45% of the book consists of the chapter Materia Medica, which includes therapeutic uses.
Illustrated with 103 color plates of medicinal plants, many with insets showing plant details. Each medicinal plant is described according to scientific and common names on San Salvador Island, as well as the various common names used on other Bahamian and Caribbean islands of the Atlantic.
Other sections of the Materia Medica describe the flowering and fruiting season, parts of the plant used for medicinal purposes, health conditions treated, harvest notes and procedures, preparation for use, administration and dosage, properties and actions according to therapeutic use, pharmacological notes, mechanism of action, contraindications, toxicity, cross-cultural uses throughout the Caribbean, other uses of the plants, and comments by bush practitioners (in their Bahamian dialect), extracted from audio and video interviews. When certain plants are used in combination with other plants to treat one or more health conditions, one or more recipes are included for making certain medicinal blends.
Additional chapters include: (1) Cultural Roots and History of Bush Medicine; (2) Belief Systems Related to Bush Medicine; (3) Principles and Practices of Bush Medicine; (4) Human and Physical Geography; (6) Midwifery, Pregnancy, and Childbirth; (7) Non-Botanical Remedies; (8) Practitioner Profiles; and (9) Oral Histories.
Includes four indices: Scientific name, Common name, Subject index, and Index of medicinal plants according to use.
In 2012 this book won the Mary W. Klinger award as outstanding book of the year.