“The thing you don’t know, is greater than you…” A Haitian Creole Proverb.

A short time ago, Nini, one of our staff here at the orphanage (a cook), became very sick with her blood pressure and was unable to breathe well. We took her to our Love A Child Clinic, where they gave her medication, put her on oxygen, and watched over her until she felt well enough to go.

Well, Nini was lying down, resting, and I went to the kitchen to talk to some of our workers to ask how she was doing. Gilbert (the young man near the stove), was stirring this pot! I said, “Wow! This soup smells so good!!” Gilbert said, “Madamn Sherry, it’s not soup… it’s medicine!” I said, “For Nini?” (Thinking she would be drinking the juice water). He said, “No, we’re going to give her a bath in it!” In the pot were “papaya, corsol, and orange peelings,” and maybe other things.

Haitians have lots of ways of using plants for medicinal problems. Years ago, Bobby had “kidney pains” they quickly ran out and gathered leaves to make a tea! “As soon as Bobby drank that tea,” the pain left!! Any time we had someone here with kidney pains, we sent Gilbert out to make “that other tea,” for kidneys.  The Haitians live by Proverbs… one of them says, “The thing you don’t know, is greater than you!” The Haitian people are so intelligent about the use of natural herbs, and greens. They are smart, talented, creative people, and we love them very much!!

Sherry