Bush Medicine of the Bahamas: A Cross-cultural Perspective from San Salvador Island, including Pharmacology and Oral Histories [first edition]

Bush Medicine of the Bahamas is the result of extensive ethnobotanical and scientific research on medicinal plants in the Bahamas. In 2012 it won the Mary W. Klinger award as outstanding book of the year. Approximately 45% of the 396 pages of the book consist of the chapter titled Materia Medica which includes therapeutic uses. Includes color plates of 103 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. 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. Other 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 4 indices: scientific name, common name, subject index, and index of medicinal plants according to use. Extensive literature citations. Archival quality hardback printed on acid-free paper, the book measures 11.2 x 9 x 1 inch, and weighs 3.0 pounds.